Finding Your Basque Ancestors

If you have Basque ancestors you should consider yourself very lucky. The people from the Basque regions of Spain and France have a great culture and they have great records. This page is created to help you get started in searching for your Basque ancestors. You will find links, How-to Guides, steps, and tricks that can help you in searching for your ancestors.

Euskal Herria

The Basques are from the Euskal Herria or Basque Country. This covers 4 provinces in Spain and 1 department of France (before 1790 they were 3 separate provinces). Below is a map showing the Basque region with the names of the provinces.

The part in blue is known today as País Vasco (or Basque Country). Both the blue and purple segments are found in Spain.

The part in orange became part of the department Basses-Pyrénées in 1790. In 1969 it became known as Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Most Commonly Used Record Types

There are four main record types that you will use when researching your Basque ancestors.

Civil Registration

These government records are extremely valuable resource. These are you birth, marriage, and death records.