Finding an Ancestor in American Naturalization Records
Find your ancestor’s American immigration or naturalization year. Search Passport Applications, Alien Registrations, Almshouse Records, Oaths of Allegiance, Census Records, City Directories, Land Records, Ships Passenger Lists, Newspapers or Voters Registrations
Naturalization Records are very important to your genealogy research. Naturalization is the process by which an alien becomes an American citizen. It is a voluntary act. Naturalization is not required. Of the foreign-born persons listed on the 1890 through 1930 censuses, 25 % had not become naturalized or filed their first papers.
Naturalization records can help you find the date, ship, and port of arrival, and the place of birth for your ancestor. How much information is found on them will depend on when the naturalization happened — before 1906 or after 1906.
The naturalization process did not have to happen in one court, or in one state. Not all aliens became citizens, and not all completed the process once they started it.
Search billions of historical records and family trees on Ancestry, including immigration records, passenger lists, naturalization records, census records, and other documents that can help trace your ancestors' journey.
Start your Ancestry free trialSuggested Resources
U.S. Naturalization Records Indexes, 1794-1995
U.S., Naturalization Records – Original Documents, 1795-1972 (World Archives Project)
Choose from the following: Naturalizations before 1906 ~ Naturalizations after 1906 ~ Court & Record Locations ~ Naturalization Process ~ Military Naturalizations ~ Women & Naturalization ~ Passports – Special Cases ~ Denizations
[Alaska] [Alabama] [Arizona] [Arkansas] [California] [Colorado] [Connecticut] [Delaware] [District of Columbia] [Florida] [Georgia] [Hawaii] [Idaho] [Illinois] [Indiana] [Iowa] [Kansas] [Kentucky] [Louisiana] [Maine] [Maryland] [Massachusetts] [Michigan] [Minnesota] [Mississippi] [Missouri] [Montana] [Nebraska] [Nevada] [New Hampshire] [New Jersey] [New Mexico] [New York] [North Carolina] [North Dakota] [Ohio] [Oklahoma] [Oregon] [Pennsylvania] [Rhode Island] [South Carolina] [South Dakota] [Tennessee] [Texas] [Utah] [Vermont] [Virginia] [Washington] [West Virginia] [Wisconsin] [Wyoming]