Spain Deaths

Spain Church Records Deaths

The Spanish word for death is Defunción. The two most common words in Spanish for death are: Entierro and Sepultura.

Uses

Use death/burial records to:

• Find burial information for persons who lived in Spain. Remember that witnesses listed may be family members.

Content

Death/Burial records usually contain the following information

• Deceased person’s name
• Date and place of burial and/or death
• Age
• Place of residence
• Marital status
• Cause of death
• In most death records the women are recorded by their maiden names
• Name of surviving spouse
• Occasionally, it is noted if the person had a will
• If a minor, the date and place of birth and parents’ names are given.

Tips

• If the death record mentions that the deceased left a will, try to obtain a copy.

Before you begin Before searching for a death record you will need to know:

• The name of the deceased
• The approximate death date
• The place of death

Church Records Online

FamilySearch

Millions of names can be found in the Spain online collections of FamilySearch

Spain Baptisms, 1502-1940 No images are available, Search by name only.

Spain Marriages, 1565-1950 No images are available, Search by name only.

Spain Deaths, 1600-1920 No images are available, Search by name only.

Spain, Catholic Church Records, 1500-1930 Browsable images. To use you must first choose the province, then the city, then the record type you wish to view.

More parish records can be found on FamilySearch under the name of the diocese. To use these records, choose the province, click on Browse Images, or enter a name if a search engine is available. If no search engine is available, click on Browse Record, then choose the town, then the parish, and then the record type you wish to view. Records are available for the following:

Spain, Diocese of Albacete, Catholic Church Records, 1504-1979

Spain, Diocese of Ávila, Catholic Church Records, 1502-1975 Indexed records and browsable images.

Spain, Diocese of Lugo, Catholic Parish Records, 1550-1966 Indexed records only

Spain, Diocese of Santander, Catholic Church Records, 1538-1985 Browseable images.

Spain, Diocese of Segovia, Catholic Church Records, 1533-1987 Browseable images.

Other online sites

Online parish indexes for País Vasco can be found at the site Dokuklik

To view the separate sites of each province of País Vasco, click on the name of the province below.

• Alava Archivo Histórico Diocesano in Vitoria.
• Guipúzcoa Archivo Histórico Diocesano in San Sebastián.
• Vizcaya Archivo Histórico Diocesano in Bilbao

In Tarragona, the archdiocese is currently digitizing parish books and many can be found at the online site Arxiu Històric Arxidiocesà de Tarragona. To view the images, you must register for a free account. For more information about how to use the site please read the article Archdiocese of Tarragona Online Parish Records.

Need help reading the records?

Translation helps

• Spanish Genealogical Word List
• Google Translate
• A good Spanish-English dictionary

Handwriting helps

• Handwriting Guide: Spanish
• Script Tutorials
• Online classes from FamilySearch