Glossary of some standard 
genealogical and historical abbreviations
Click here for catalog abbreviations

Full words are listed in alphabetical order and cross referenced where possible. Abbreviations as well as alternate words are listed after. Use your find or search function of your browser to locate an abbreviation you are interested in. If the one it stops on could not be possible, try again. Some abbreviations stand for more than one thing, according to context, such as Co. (county and company). Please also be advised that any abbreviation can be found in upper or lower case with or without periods (.), dashes (-), slashes(/ \), etc. All abbreviations below (with the exceptions of postal abbreviations) are found in lower case without other punctuation besides semicolons (;) to divide the possible abbreviations.

We also suggest the following publication: AD975-$16.00 (Special Order) Abbreviations & Acronyms, A Guide for Family Historians (revised 2nd Ed), by Kip Sperry.  8½x11", softbound book, 196 pages.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary. If the term you are looking for starts with a digit or symbol, choose the '#' link.

- A -

About (see circa)

abt

 

Absent Without Leave

awol

 

Administered or Admistration

adm; admin

 

Aged

ae; aet

 

Alabama

AL; ala

 

Alaska

AK

 

Ambassador

amb

Annunciation

annc; annunc

 

Apartment

APT

Arizona

AZ

 

Arkansas

AR; ark

Artillery

art; arty

 

American Samoa

AS

 

At

a; @

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- B -

 

Baptismal

baptis

 

Baptized(ism)

bpt; bapt

 

Battery

btry; bat; batt

Beach

bch

Before

bef

 

Born (birth)

b; bn; bir; na; nat

Bounty Land Warrant

blw

Brother(s)

bro; bros

 

Building

BLDG

Buried (see sepulr)

bd; bu; bur; burd

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- C -

 

California

CA; calif

 

Canada

can

Captain

cap; capt

Cavalry

cav; cavlry

 

Cemetery

cem

Census

cen

Children

ch; chil; child

Children of the American Revolution

car

 

Children of the Confederacy

cofc

 

Civil Service

cs

Civil War

cw

Cherokee

che; cher

Choctaw

cho

Circa (see about)

c; ca

Civil War

cw

 

Civil War Preservation Trust

cwpt

Co-heir

coh;  cohr

 

Collateral

colls

 

Colorado

CO

Colonel

col

Column

col

 

Company

co; comp

Confederate States of America

csa

Connecticut

CT

Corporal

cpl; corp

(the) County (of)

cc; co; con

Created

cr

 

Continental Society Daughters of Indian Wars

csdiw

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- D -

Dated

dtd

Daughter (of)

d; da; dau; (do)

Daughters of the American Revolution (National Society)

dar (ns)

 

Death/Deceased (see died)

d; desc

Delaware

DE

Department

DEPT

Died (see death)

d; ob; obt

Died a bachelor

ob coel

 

Died in infancy

ob; inf

 

Died a spinster

ob inn

Died while still a minor

ob inf set

 

Died without issue

dsp

 

Died young

dy; ob juv

Difficult

dif; diff

 

District of Columbia

DC

Division

div

Doctor

dr; dtr

Doctor Veterinary Medicine

dvm

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- E -

Each

ea

East

E

Educated (at)

ed; educ

 

Eldest

el

 

England

eng

Ensign

ens

Estimate(d)

e

Extinct

est; ext; x (extinction of the line)

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- F -

Federated States of Micronesia

FM

Female

f; fe

Floor

FL

Florida

FL

Flourished (see lived)

fl

 

France

fr

Funeral Home Marker

fhm

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- G -

General

gen

Georgia

GA

Germany

ger

Grand

g; gnd

Grand Army of the Republic

gar

Great grand (etc.)

gg; ggnd (etc.)

Guam

GU

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- H -

 

Hawaii

HI

Heir (see son)

h; fil et hr

 

Heir Apparent

hr ap

 

Heir Presumptive

hr pre

 

Honorable

ho; hon

Husband

husb

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- I -

Idaho

ID

 

Illinois

IL; ill

 

Indian Territory

it; in terr

 

Indiana

IN

Infant

inf

Infantry

inf

Information from family

 

iff

 

Inherited

inh

Iowa

IA

International Order of Odd Fellows

ioof

 

in the lifetime of his (or her) mother

vm

 

in the lifetime of his (or her) father

vp

 

Island

isl

Ireland

ir; irl; ire

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- J -

Justice of (the) Peace

jp

Juvinile

juv; jv

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- K -

 

Kansas

KS; kan

 

Kentucky

KY

Killed in Action

kia

Knight

knt

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- L -

Louisiana

LA

Lieutenant

lt; leut

Lt. Colonel

lcol; lt col

Lt. General

lgen; lt gen

Lived (see flourished)

liv

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- M -

Maine

ME

Maiden Name

nee

male

m

Major

maj

Major General

mgen; maj gen

manuscript

mssc

married dissolved by divorce

m dis by div

 

married (marriage/date)

m; na; mrd; marr; wed, =

Marshall Islands

MH; marsh isl

 

Maryland

MD

maternal

m

Massachusetts

MA; mass

Medical Doctor

md

Michigan

MI; mich

 

Minute Man

mm

Minnesota

MN

 

Missing in Action

mia

Mississippi

MS; miss

 

Missouri

MO

 

Montana

MT

Mount/Mountain

mt

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- N -

 

Nebraska

NE; neb

 

Nevada

NV

 

New Hampshire

NH

 

New Jersey

NJ

 

New Mexico

NM

 

New York

NY

 

North

N

 

Northeast

NE

 

Northwest

NW

 

North Carolina

NC

 

North Dakota

ND

 

Northern Mariana Islands

NP

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- O -

obituary

obit

of

o

Ohio

OH

 

Oklahoma

OK; okla

 

Order of Eastern Star

oes

Oregon

OR

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- P -

Palau

PW

paternal

m

Prerogative Court of Canterbury

pcc

Prerogatie Court of York

pcy

 

Patriotic Service

ps

Pennsylvania

PA; penn

Pension

pen

Post Office

po

Prisoner of War

pow

Private

pvt

Probate

pro

Puerto Rico

PR

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- Q -

(empty)

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- R -

Record

rec

Regiment

reg

Register

         reg

Relict (see widow)

rel

 

Reverend

rev

Revolutionary War

rw

Rhode Island

RI

 

Room

RM

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- S -

Saint

st

Scotland

scot

Sepulr (see buried)

sep

 

Sergeant

sgt; ssgt; tsgt

Shared or Same Stone With

ssw

 

Sheriff

shf

 

Soldier

sol

Son (of) - (see heir)

s(o)

Sons of the American Revolution

sar

South

S

 

Southeast

SE

 

Southwest

SW

 

South Carolina

SC

 

South Dakota

SD

 

Succeeded

s; suc

Suite

STE

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- T -

Tennessee

TN; tenn

 

Texas

TX; tex

in time of (see circa and about)

temp

 

Township

twp

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- U -

United Daughters of the Confederacy

udc

 

United Empire Loyalist

uel

United Parcel Service

ups

United States (of America)

us (a)

United States Postal Service (US Post Office)

USPS; US PO

Unmarried

unmar

Utah

UT

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- V -

Vermont

VT

 

Virginia

VA

 

Virgin Islands

VI

 

Volume

v; vol

 

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- W -

Washington

WA; wash

 

West Virginia

WV

was then living

viv

 

Widow/Widower (see relict)

wid

Wife (of)

w(o)

Will

wl

Wisconsin

WI

without issue

spl

 

Without legitimate issue

spl

 

Without male issue

spm

 

Woodman of the World

wow

World War

ww

Wyoming

WY

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- X -

(empty)

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- Y -

(empty)

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- Z -

(empty)

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This Page Last Updated: November 06, 2008