Alpes-Maritimes, France Births & Christenings, 1575-1906

This database contains birth and christening data indexed from original parish and civil vital records by members of the Association Généalogique des Alpes Maritimes (AGAM). Records approximately cover the years 1575-1906 for the department of Alpes-Maritimes, located in southeastern France.

There are over 200 thousand birth and christening records represented in this database. While this is a significant amount of records, it does not necessarily cover all birth records in existence for this time and place.

Information listed in this database includes:

• Name of child
• Gender
• Birth or christening date
• Birth or christening place
• Father’s name (and notes about the father)
• Mother’s name (and notes about the mother)
• Comments

Historical Background:

Government civil registration was instituted in France in 1792. Both Catholic and Protestant church records began being kept in the mid-1500s. Church records, therefore, are especially important for genealogical research before 1792.

Where to go from here:

Use the information found in this database to obtain a copy of an original birth or christening record. Original records include birth certificates, and birth and christening registers (both civil and ecclesiastical).

For years where both church and civil records are available, you will likely want to obtain copies of both record types, as the information provided in each may be different. Birth and christening records may include details about the parents of the child such as their residences, occupations, birth information, ages, and even witnesses’ names. The difference in the information provided will vary according to whether the record is civil or ecclesiastical, as well as the time period in which the record was created.