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Global Resources for

Jewish Surnames, Name Changes, Adoption, & Migration Records

Quick jump

Global and multi-country resources

Use this section first when you are unsure which country held the record or when a family crossed borders.

Cross-border record portals

What you’ll find here: multi-country databases and archival portals used across the diaspora, especially Holocaust, displacement, and relief records.

Resources

Jewish community and specialist repositories

What you’ll find here: Jewish-focused databases and archives that cut across national boundaries.

Resources

Holocaust-era names and tracing

What you’ll find here: major name-based search tools that often preserve original spellings and prewar locations.

Resources

Research helpers and digital collections

What you’ll find here: digitized collections that support surname variants, place names, and community context.

Resources

North America

Useful for immigration-era name usage, passenger arrivals, and naturalization records.

Canada

What you’ll find here: official immigration and citizenship records plus leading Canadian Jewish archive hubs.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

United States

What you’ll find here: U.S. passenger arrivals, naturalization files, and the classic Ellis Island name-change myth explainer.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Latin America

Best for major diaspora destinations in South America, especially arrivals to Argentina and Brazil.

Argentina

What you’ll find here: passenger arrivals plus one of the most important Jewish archives in Latin America.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Brazil

What you’ll find here: immigration-era foreign arrivals and Brazilian Jewish archival collections.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

Mexico

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: Mexico’s national archive, descriptive guides, and migration-era record discovery tools.

  • Archivo General de la Nación (AGN) — Repositorio Documental Digital: https://repositorio.agn.gob.mx/
  • Archivo General de la Nación (AGN) — Guía General: https://guiageneral.agn.gob.mx/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish communal archives, photographs, oral histories, and institutional records from Mexico.

  • CDIJUM — Centro de Documentación e Investigación Judío de México: https://cdijum.mx/
  • UNESCO Memory of the World — CDIJUM collection entry: https://www.unesco.org/en/memory-world/lac/ashkenazi-community-documentation-and-research-centre-collection-mexico

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: migration and archival research guidance for Jewish and general family history in Mexico.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Mexico Emigration and Immigration: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Mexico_Emigration_and_Immigration
  • Center for Jewish History guide — Mexico primary sources: https://libguides.cjh.org/genealogyguides/mexico/primary_sources
Venezuela

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archive plus civil-registration access.

  • Archivo General de la Nación (Venezuela): https://agn.gob.ve/
  • FamilySearch — Venezuela Civil Registration, 1843-2021: https://www.familysearch.org/en/search/collection/1823609

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish cemetery and community resources, especially for Sephardic Venezuelan lines.

  • Sephardic Cemeteries in Venezuela: https://www.sephardicgen.com/databases/VenezuelaCemeteriesSrchFrm.html
  • Coro Sephardic Cemetery in Venezuela: https://www.sephardicgen.com/databases/VenezuelaCoroCemeterySrchFrm.html
  • SephardicGen guide — Jews in Venezuela: https://sephardicgenealogy.com/researching-sephardic-ancestry/sephardim-in-the-americas/jews-in-venezuela/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: broader civil-record guidance when tracing later generations.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Venezuela Civil Registration: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Venezuela_Civil_Registration

Europe

This is the deepest region for Jewish surname, civil record, and town-origin research. Countries are alphabetical below.

Austria

What you’ll find here: Austrian state archives plus cross-border tools relevant to former Galicia and Habsburg records.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Belarus

What you’ll find here: the main official Belarus archives portal, genealogy guidance, the two key historical archives, and Belarus-focused JewishGen tools.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

Belgium

What you’ll find here: the main Belgian state genealogy portal for parish and civil status records.

Government and official record portals

Bulgaria

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the main state archives portal, plus country-level guidance to Bulgarian archival holdings.

  • State Agency “Archives” — national archives portal: https://www.archives.government.bg/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish record collections, surname tools, and archive references for Bulgarian Jewish families.

  • JewishGen Bulgaria Database — Jewish records, town materials, and related datasets: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Bulgaria/
  • Dictionary of Bulgarian Jewish Surnames — surname-focused reference tool: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/bulgaria/bulgariasurnames.html
  • Organization of Jews in Bulgaria “Shalom” archive reference (EHRI): https://portal.ehri-project.eu/institutions/bg-002185

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: practical archive-location guidance for family historians.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Bulgaria Archives and Libraries: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Bulgaria_Archives_and_Libraries
Czech Republic

What you’ll find here: the national digital reading room plus Jewish and church-register helpers.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Denmark

What you’ll find here: Danish online records guidance plus a global Jewish cemetery tool.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Estonia

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archives portal, genealogy search tools, and archival enquiry options.

  • National Archives of Estonia — main portal: https://www.ra.ee/en/
  • VAU Genealogy — Estonian genealogy entry point: https://www.ra.ee/vau/index.php/en/page/article/index?menuId=16
  • National Archives of Estonia — genealogical enquiry form: https://www.ra.ee/vau/index.php/en/enquiry/form/index

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Estonian Jewish museum and archive resources, including digital archives.

  • Estonian Jewish Museum — digital archive and museum resources: https://museum.jewish.ee/en/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: research guidance specifically for Jewish family history in Estonia.

  • IGRA Resource Guide — Estonia: https://genealogy.org.il/resource-guides/estonia/
Finland

What you’ll find here: Finland’s national archives portal plus a global Jewish cemetery tool.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

France

What you’ll find here: French naturalization and name-change resources, plus major Jewish archives and Shoah documentation.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Germany

What you’ll find here: the federal archives plus cross-border Holocaust and church-register tools.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Greece

What you’ll find here: Greece’s state archives plus national Jewish community and museum resources.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Hungary

What you’ll find here: Hungarian archives plus Holocaust-era lookup tools.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Ireland

What you’ll find here: Ireland’s archives and civil/church genealogy portals.

Government and official record portals

Italy

What you’ll find here: the main Italian civil registration portal.

Government and official record portals

Latvia

What you’ll find here: Latvia’s national archives, digital records, and Jewish history resources.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Lithuania

What you’ll find here: Lithuania’s historical archives, digital heritage portal, and Litvak-focused Jewish resources.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Moldova

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archives agency and online collection guides.

  • National Archives Agency of the Republic of Moldova — main portal: https://arhiva.gov.md/
  • National Archives Agency — collections and fonds: https://arhiva.gov.md/fonduri-si-colectii/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish record databases and museum collections for Moldova / Bessarabia research.

  • JewishGen Romania-Moldova Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/romania/
  • Jewish Museum of Moldova — virtual museum / about page: https://www.jewishmuseum.md/en/main/menu?alias=about

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: practical leads for post-1900 civil records and Chisinau/Kishinev research.

  • Kishinev archives and genealogy resources (JewishGen KehilaLinks): https://kehilalinks.jewishgen.org/chisinau/RES_archives.asp
Netherlands

What you’ll find here: the main aggregated Dutch civil registration and population-register portal.

Government and official record portals

Norway

What you’ll find here: Norway’s National Archives service plus a global Jewish relief-index resource.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Poland

What you’ll find here: Poland’s state archive portals plus core Jewish indexing and history institutions.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Portugal

What you’ll find here: Portuguese archives plus a global Sephardi research hub.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Romania

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archives portal and public services / branch information.

  • National Archives of Romania — main portal: https://arhivelenationale.ro/site/en/first-page/
  • National Archives of Romania — public services and local branches: https://arhivelenationale.ro/site/en/public-services/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish record indexing, town research, vital records, and museum holdings.

  • JewishGen Romania Research Division: https://romania.jewishgen.org/
  • JewishGen Romania-Moldova Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/romania/
  • Romania Vital Records (JewishGen): https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/romania/romaniavitalrecords.html
  • Jewish History Museum in Romania: https://www.museum.jewishfed.ro/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: practical research overviews and archival-use guidance.

  • Center for Jewish History guide — Romania and Moldova primary records: https://libguides.cjh.org/genealogyguides/romania_moldova/primary_records
Russia

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: federal archive administration and official guidance for archival / family-history requests.

  • Federal Archival Agency (Rosarchiv) — official government profile: https://archive.government.ru/eng/power/30/
  • Rosarchiv — genealogy / kinship FAQ section: https://archives.gov.ru/taxonomy/term/17
  • Archives of Russia portal (linked from Rosarchiv): https://rusarchives.ru/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Jewish record databases spanning the Russian Empire and the Russian Federation.

  • JewishGen Russia Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/russia/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: practical guidance to Jewish record types and record-finding strategies.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Russia Jewish Records: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Russia_Jewish_Records
Slovakia

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archive portal and archive-research guidance.

  • Slovak National Archive — official page: https://www.minv.sk/?sna=
  • U.S. Embassy in Slovakia — archive research / genealogy contacts: https://sk.usembassy.gov/genealogy-information/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: museum collections and Jewish vital-record projects relevant to Slovak Jewish families.

  • Museum of Jewish Culture (Slovak National Museum): https://www.snm.sk/en/museums/museum-of-jewish-culture/museum-of-jewish-culture/about-the-museum
  • JewishGen Slovak Civil Vital Records project: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Hungary/SlovakCivilVitalRecords_intro.html

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: archive and library guidance for wider Slovak family research.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Slovakia Archives and Libraries: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Slovakia_Archives_and_Libraries
Spain

What you’ll find here: Spain’s national archives portal plus a global Sephardi research hub.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Sweden

What you’ll find here: Sweden’s digital research room plus a global Jewish cemetery tool.

Government and official record portals

Research helpers

Switzerland

What you’ll find here: the Swiss federal archives portal.

Government and official record portals

Ukraine

What you’ll find here: Ukraine’s national archives portal, central state archives hub, and the main Jewish genealogy resources used for Ukrainian towns and Galicia.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

United Kingdom

What you’ll find here: passenger lists, naturalization, civil registration, deed poll/name-change guidance, and adoption records.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Middle East

Useful for aliyah, Ottoman/post-Ottoman archives, and Jewish community collections.

Iran

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: Iran’s national archival institution and general online genealogy guidance.

  • National Library and Archives of Iran: https://www.nlai.ir/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Iranian Jewish archival collections, historical documents, oral histories, and cemetery / community materials.

  • 7Dorim — Iranian Jewish Culture archive: https://www.7dorim.com/en/
  • 7Dorim — archive of old photos and documents: https://www.7dorim.com/en/pictures/archive-of-old-photos-and-documents/
  • Yale Iranian Jewish Archives: https://ypsa.yale.edu/iranian-jewish-archives

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: broader online record-finding leads for Iran.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Iran Online Genealogy Records: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Iran_Online_Genealogy_Records
Iraq

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the main Iraqi national archive/library portal and its searchable catalog / indexes.

  • Iraq National Library and Archive: https://www.iraqnla.gov.iq/
  • Iraq National Library and Archive — catalog / indexes page: https://www.iraqnla.gov.iq/faharis%20aldaar.html

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: digitized Iraqi Jewish communal, school, and life-cycle records.

  • Iraqi Jewish Archive — home: https://ijarchive.org/s/iraqi-jewish-archive/page/home

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: broader archive and library guidance for Iraq.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Iraq Archives and Libraries: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Iraq_Archives_and_Libraries
Israel

What you’ll find here: state and Zionist archives, aliyah registers, and globally important Holocaust and Jewish-community tools.

Jews who immigrated to Israel sometimes changed their names. Prime Minister Ben Gurion vigorously encouraged the Hebraization of names. Legal name changes were published in the Palestine Gazette and Yalkut Hapirsumim, searchable within the IGRA database below.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Syria

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: Syria-focused heritage and documentation portals that help locate materials when official archival access is difficult.

  • Syrian Heritage Archive: https://syrian-heritage.org/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Syrian Jewish community databases, Aleppo records, and heritage-preservation initiatives.

  • Jewish Heritage in Syria (JHS): https://jhs.sy/
  • JewishGen Syria Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Syria/
  • Aleppo Marriages Database: https://www.sephardicgen.com/databases/AleppoMarriageSrchFrm.html
  • Aleppo Brit Milah Database: https://www.sephardicgen.com/databases/AleppoBritotSrchFrm.html

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: additional Syria record lists inside the wider Sephardic collections.

  • IGRA / SephardicGen list — Syria databases: https://genealogy.org.il/resources/sephardicgen/list/
Türkiye

What you’ll find here: state archival portals, ancestry-query services for eligible users, and the main Jewish museum resource.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Asia

China

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: Shanghai archival records and institutional resources tied to Jewish migration into China.

  • Shanghai Municipal Archives — official portal: https://www.shda.gov.cn/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Shanghai and Harbin Jewish history resources, refugee materials, and oral histories.

  • Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum: https://www.shhkjrm.com/en/
  • Sino-Judaic Archives: https://sinojudaic.org/archives
  • JDC Archives — Refuge in Shanghai (1938-1953): https://archives.jdc.org/topic-guides/refuge-in-shanghai-1938-1953/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: selected archival records from Shanghai directly relevant to Jewish refugees and community life.

  • EHRI — Selected records of the Shanghai Municipal Archives: https://portal.ehri-project.eu/units/us-005578-irn514277
India

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the national archives and India’s main online archival discovery platform.

  • National Archives of India — main portal: https://nationalarchives.nic.in/national-archives-india
  • Abhilekh-Patal — National Archives of India online search platform: https://www.abhilekh-patal.in/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Indian Jewish history, archival collections, photographs, synagogue history, and community heritage.

  • Indian Jewish Heritage Center: https://indianjews.org/
  • Bombay Jewish Archives: https://www.bombayjewisharchives.com/
  • Bene Israel Heritage Museum and Genealogical Research Centre (NLI topic page): https://www.nli.org.il/en/a-topic/987007312093605171

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: additional documentation projects on Jewish heritage in India.

  • IGNCA — Jewish Cultural Heritage in India: https://ignca.gov.in/divisionss/janapada-sampada/loka-parampara/jewish-cultural-heritage/

North Africa

Best for Sephardi and Mizrahi communities in Morocco and Tunisia, plus Jewish heritage collections.

Algeria

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: the Algerian national archives plus French-hosted colonial-era civil registration records.

  • National Archives Center of Algeria: https://archives-can.dz/
  • Archives nationales d’outre-mer (ANOM) — Algeria civil registration search: https://anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caomec2/recherche.php?territoire=ALGERIE

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Algerian Jewish databases, ketubot, name lists, and related community records.

  • JewishGen Algeria Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/algeria/
  • SephardicGen country list — Algeria databases: https://genealogy.org.il/resources/sephardicgen/list/
  • Sephardic Ketubot from Algeria: https://www.sephardicgen.com/databases/KetubotAlgeriaSrchFrm.html

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: archive-location guidance and links into record repositories.

  • FamilySearch Wiki — Algeria Archives and Libraries: https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Algeria_Archives_and_Libraries
Egypt/Sudan

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: pointers to the main archival institutions for Egypt and Sudan.

  • EHRI — Egypt country guide (includes National Archives of Egypt / Dar al-Watha’iq al-Qawmiyya): https://portal.ehri-project.eu/countries/eg
  • Sudan Memory — National Records Office collection: https://www.sudanmemory.org/collections/national-record-office/
  • Sudan Memory — project home: https://www.sudanmemory.org/

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Egyptian Jewish name lists, family-name tools, registers, and historical community records.

  • JewishGen Egypt Database: https://www.jewishgen.org/databases/Egypt/
  • Historical Society of Jews from Egypt — Genealogy: https://www.hsje.org/Genealogy.html
  • Historical Society of Jews from Egypt — Family names: https://www.hsje.org/genealogy/family_names.html
  • Nebi Daniel Association — Registers: https://www.nebidaniel.org/registres.php?lang=en

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: digitized Sudanese newspapers and wider collection browsing.

  • Sudan Memory — collections landing page: https://www.sudanmemory.org/collections/
Libya

Government and official record portals

What you’ll find here: broad country-level discovery guidance where online official access is limited.

  • EHRI — Libya country guide to relevant archival institutions: https://portal.ehri-project.eu/countries/ly

 

Jewish community and specialist archives

What you’ll find here: Libyan Jewish databases, cemetery / riot records, and heritage-preservation resources.

  • JewishGen Libya Database: https://jewishgen.org/databases/Libya/
  • Or Shalom Center for Libyan Jewish Heritage (via NLI author/archive page): https://blog.nli.org.il/en/author/orshalom/

 

Research helpers

What you’ll find here: additional indexed Libyan Jewish record sets.

  • JewishGen — Victims of Libyan Riots: https://jewishgen.org/databases/libya/libyariots.html
Morocco

What you’ll find here: Morocco’s national archives and the main Jewish museum resource.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

Tunisia

What you’ll find here: national archives and library portals plus community heritage initiatives.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Sub‑Saharan Africa

Best for South African Jewish history, community archives, and national archival descriptions.

South Africa

What you’ll find here: South Africa’s national archives search infrastructure, Jewish museum archives, and passenger-list helpers.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

Oceania

Best for Australia and New Zealand passenger, citizenship, name-change, and civil-registration research.

Australia

What you’ll find here: Australian immigration, citizenship, deed poll, and Jewish historical society resources.

Government and official record portals

Jewish community and specialist archives

Research helpers

New Zealand

What you’ll find here: New Zealand civil registration and name-change access routes.

Government and official record portals

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