Information gathered from every birth occurring in the United States is maintained by local government offices and statistics are reported by the federal government through the National Vital Statistics System. This system is administered by joint efforts of the National Center for Health Statistics and the states.

Birth Information Gathered

When a birth occurs in the U.S., several pieces of information are gathered to report to both local and federal agencies. The names of the parents, maiden name of the  mother, home addresses, marital status, occupation and other information is used when creating the birth certificate to remain on file with the local Department of Health.

General information such as the number of children the mother already has, her age and race, and the birth weight of the child and status of the pregnancy when the birth occurs is reported to the federal government. From this information, yearly tables are created that estimate the number of births per 1,000 people, fertility of the females in the population, and occurrence of low birth weight babies or pre-term births.

Using Birth Information

Birth statistics are useful when conducting research and/or searching for birth patterns in the population. They also tell us about the general health status of pregnant women and infants in the country, and can help determine the cause of fetal and infant death. Risk factors may be identified using this data to help educate the public and prevent complications and death at birth in the future.

Birth certificates and official records may be needed for identification purposes, genealogy research or simply personal records. You may request these from the corresponding local government offices or utilize private search engines to conduct a search for them from the comfort of home.

Birth and Death Records

Birth and death records are considered primary vital records when searching for information about someone or confirming their identity. These records are maintained by the state government where the birth or death took place; obviously, this is not always the same geographical location, so it can become difficult finding birth and death records for someone other than you.

Uses for Birth and Death Records

Much of the time, birth and death records are researched for genealogy purposes when mapping a family tree or searching for information about birth parents. Birth certificates may be needed when applying for a passport or driver’s license, and death records are necessary when claiming life insurance or other survivor’s benefits.

Information Available in Birth and Death Records

Birth records will provide the date and location of birth, names of the birth parents, and possibly names of other relatives. If you are one of the parties named in the records, you may request a copy of the official birth certificate which is ideal if you need to prove your identity or citizenship for any reason.

Death records will provide information about the date and location of death, the cause of death, surviving relatives and cemetery and obituary information. If you are granted access to the death certificate, you may find the names of the decedent’s parents, the physician who signed the certificate, place of residence and even mother’s maiden name.

If you do not know where the birth and death records may be filed or under what name, it’s a good idea to utilize the services of a private website. These sites can access multiple databases from across the country to help you narrow down your search, saving you time and effort in the process.

Birth Certificates

Birth certificates are created and maintained with county and state government offices, and are considered verification of someone’s U.S. citizenship per the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. These are generally held with the local Vital Records office or Health Department, and may only be requested by the individual named or his direct family members.

Information in Birth Certificates

Birth certificates may be found in either short or long form, and the information contained in them varies depending upon this type. Long form certificates are a duplicate copy of the paperwork filled out by the attending physician when someone was born. These contain the names of the parents, their addresses, dates and places of birth, the place the child was born and signatures of the parents and the physician.

Short forms include the name of the person, their date and place of birth, sex and the names of the parents. These forms are often called a “Certification of Birth,” and may be used to confirm someone’s identity and citizenship.

Other types of birth certificates include wallet-sized options designed for easy carrying and storage, and souvenir birth certificates provided by the hospital when someone is born. If a child is adopted, the judge will often redact the original birth certificate and issue a new one with the adoptive parents’ names on it. Local and state access laws regarding information contained in the original birth certificates vary-some will allow an adopted individual to access them upon proving their identity, but others do not.

Finding Birth Certificates

These birth certificates are maintained at the local and state government level, and copies must be requested in writing. Private search engines offer the ability to search multiple databases at once, saving time and effort in this process.

Birth Records

Birth records are considered one of the main vital records created during a person’s lifetime. These records contain information about the person’s origins and identity, and include an official birth certificate that is filed with the local county Department of Health or Vital Records office.

Information Contained in Birth Records

Within a birth record, you will find the full names of the mother and father, maiden name of the mother, place of birth such as hospital and city information, address, time of birth and race. This information may vary if the person was born abroad, but you’ll need to check with the corresponding country and territorial government offices.

Duality of Birth Records

Per the U.S. Constitution, birth records are a part of the function and duty given to the states. However, the federal government depends upon these records in order to verify citizenship on the basis of being born in the U.S. This requirement is found in the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution. This is why birth certificates are needed to request new forms of government identification, such as driver’s licenses and passports.

Statistics regarding births in the U.S. are provided by the National Center for Health Statistics. For example, in 2006 there were over 4 million births in the U.S., and this equated to 14.2 births for every 1,000 people in the nation. 68.5 births were counted per 1,000 women, ranging in age from 15 to 44 years old. The mean age that women gave birth for the first time that year was 25, and more than 38% of them were unmarried. 13% of those babies were born early and 8.3% had a low birth weight.

These statistics are available through the federal government, but specific birth records must be requested from the county where the individual was born.

Birth Search

Conducting a birth search can help provide clues about someone’s past, your own family history or even your birth parents’ identities. In order to conduct a birth search, you first need to gather as much information as you already know, and begin with a public birth search in the corresponding county or state records offices.

Information Needed to Conduct a Birth Search

Birth records and certificates are maintained with the local government offices in the jurisdiction where someone was born. This is often the county Department of Health, but could also be a state-level office. In order to request birth records from these agencies, you must provide your own identity and reason for needing the records, and submit a written request giving the name and approximate date of the birth you are searching for. Often, birth certificates are only accessible by the individual named on them or their direct family members.

If you merely know the person’s name but aren’t sure of dates or places, conducting a search through a private search engine is ideal. This will save you time and money by searching through multiple databases at once, and hopefully provide a clue about where you should go next to conduct your search.

Reasons for Conducting a Birth Search

The most common reasons for conducting a birth search include genealogy research, obtaining copies of birth certificates for identification purposes, and searching for birth parents. Birth records provide vital information about a person’s parents and where they were born, likely offering clues about where they left other records during their lifetime. Though you may not be able to access personal information contained in the birth records, they can still provide you with the place or geographical location where someone was born.

State Birth Records

With every birth that occurs, the corresponding state government is responsible for filing and maintaining records of them for use in the future. State birth records are typically held with the state’s Vital Records office or the county Departments of Health. These state birth records include official birth certificates that are important for identification purposes when applying for a passport or driver’s license, or for genealogy research.

Finding State Birth Records

Most state birth records copies may be obtained for a fee. You will likely need to submit a written request, and may obtain either a certified or non-certified copy. Legal uses of the birth records will likely require a certified copy. You will also need to provide your personal identification and possibly the need for the copies.

Accessing State Birth Records

If the state birth records you seek are not your own or those of your own children or parents, you will need to obtain a court order to gain access to them. This is especially true for certified copies of birth certificates, as they contain personal information such as home addresses and full names of parents. You may, however, be able to access general information that will simply confirm or deny the place of birth. Private websites also offer the ability to search multiple databases across the country if you do not know the exact location of the state birth records you need.

Birth Parents

If you or someone you know is adopted, you may at some point in time wish to conduct a search for birth parents. This type of search can seem like a daunting task, especially if you know nothing about your birth parents to begin with. However, there are public and private resources available to help you along the way.

Information Needed to Search for Birth Parents

To begin a search for your birth parents, first gather all the information that you and your adoptive parents know already. This can include your place of birth, name at birth or possibly even your parents’ names. Next, you need to petition the court for your original birth certificate and/or adoption decree. This birth certificate has the names of the birth parents on it; when someone is adopted, the judge redacts it and creates an amended birth certificate.

If the adoption took place through an agency, try contacting them about their policies concerning releasing information about birth parents. Some states may even refuse to give out this information, according to their specific set of laws. If this is the case, you may still be able to access non-identifying information. This is information that cannot identify your birth parents directly, but might provide a roadmap of where you need to look next. This information can include race or religion, medical histories, profession, physical descriptions, age at birth and death information.

If you aren’t sure where to begin your search, a private website can help you access multiple databases at once, saving you time and effort when trying to locate your birth parents.