Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
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Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
The Passenger Search database allows you to look for family members who arrived at the Port of New York from 1820 to 1957. At the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration and on the Foundation’s website you can explore your family heritage by searching nearly 65 million passenger records and ship manifests, examining information collected at debarkation points. Some passenger records are more complete than others, but many reveal name, age, date of arrival, ship name, nationality, birthplace, occupation, last residence overseas, and final destination. Some even have information about how many bags a passenger had, the amount of money they carried, and where they stayed on the ship.

We invite you to explore the Passenger Search database and start uncovering your family’s story. Get a first hand sense of the road that brought you here, and find your place in the larger story of American immigration.

All you need to get going is a name, but your search will be a lot easier and more accurate if you start off with more information. If you have only a name to work with — and that name is John Smith, for instance — you’re going to be combing through thousands of records with no clue as to which John Smith is your great-grandfather. Even more-uncommon names could give you hundreds of results.

To prepare for your search and ensure best results, we recommend gathering as much information as you can. Did your relative have travel companions? What was their hometown? When did they arrive in the U.S.? Our database can account for different surname spellings, but if you believe your passenger made a dramatic change to the family name it will be beneficial to know their birth name.

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