Passenger lists 1865 to 1935
When people immigrated to Canada and arrived by ship, they were recorded on documents called passenger lists. Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has lists you can search from 1865 to 1935. These are the only records that still exist for many immigrants to Canada.
On this page
- Before you start
- Search tips
- About the records
- About passenger lists
- Other places to look
- Access the records
- Related links
Before you start
Gather information such as:
- Name(s)
- Approximate year of birth
- Approximate year of arrival
- Name of ship
Search tips
Searching by name
When you are searching by name, keep the following in mind:
- You don’t have to fill out every box on the screen. Start with a broad search, then narrow your results as you go.
- Spelling variations of names are common in old records. Try searching different versions of the first or last names, just an initial or nicknames. Use the *wildcard to search different names, for example Fran* for Frank, Francis, François, Franz, František, Francesco.
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Reasons names could be recorded differently include:
- Many names were written phonetically, as they sounded to the person recording them. For example, Thibault, Thibeau and Tibo are just three of many variations of that name.
- Last names appear in different ways depending on how they were noted down on the page and how they were indexed. Example: McDonald, MacDonald, M’Donald, Mc Donald, Donald Mc.
- Some people went by their middle name or used a nickname, such as Lizzie for Elizabeth or Nellie for Helen.
- Some first names were recorded only by the initial or abbreviation, such as T. or Thos. instead of Thomas. Sometimes only a title was used, such as Mrs., Mr., Dr., Rev., Widow.
- Some women were recorded by their husband’s name, for example, Mrs. Joe Johnnson.
- Some immigrants anglicized their names. For example, Johan Kuch may have called himself John Cook.
- In some of the earlier lists, personal information was not noted for wives, minor children, groups of labourers and first and second-class passengers.
- Adding a year in the date field will search all dates across the records.
Errors and discrepancies
The entries are created by indexers who look at the passenger lists and try to interpret the information on each page. Indexing errors and discrepancies can happen because of:
- poor handwriting in the original documents
- the standard use of cursive, which can be difficult to read. Letters that look similar can cause confusion for indexers such as u and n, o and a, i and e, L and S, etc.
- poor quality of the digitized microfilm. The records were digitized from the microfilm because the originals no longer exist.
- pages that are hard to read because of faded ink, very dark ink, or thin paper
- discrepancies in details such as ages and places were common in old records
- Not all lists note the age of passengers. Sometimes only “a” for adult is noted.
Searching by ship
If you can’t find a name but you know the approximate date of arrival and the name of the ship, try searching by ship instead.
- Search by ship name and date ex: Moravian.
- Then use the date filters in the search results to narrow down the date.
If the record doesn’t have an image
If the record doesn't have an image, you will probably need to browse microfilm. Note the reference information from the record and use it to locate the correct image on the microfilm reels. See About the Records for more information.
About the records
The passenger lists are arranged by port and date of arrival. A page that shows the name of the ship, shipping line, ports, dates and number of passengers is often at the beginning or end of each passenger list.
Passenger lists exist for the following ports of entry:
- Quebec City and Montreal: 1865-1935
- Halifax: 1881-1935
- Saint John, New Brunswick: 1900-1935
- North Sydney: 1906-1935 (these include mostly ferry arrivals from Newfoundland and St. Pierre-et-Miquelon, with a few passengers in transit from other countries)
- Vancouver, 1905-1935
- Victoria, 1905-1935
- Via New York, 1906-1931 and other Eastern United States ports, 1905-1928 (these lists include only the names of passengers who stated that they intended to proceed directly to Canada)
For information regarding ports and the records for specific time periods, see the list of microfilm reels for each port.
The way to consult passenger lists varies depending on the year.
1865-1918
Most passenger list images from 1865 to 1918 are attached to the records in Collection search, such as the lists for the ports of Quebec and Halifax. Other lists are indexed up to 1912.
Some records from May 1, 1865 to November 15, 1869, are not linked to images. To view the related images, search by ship in Collection Search. On the search screen, enter the name of the ship and the date of arrival.
1919 to 1924
For the years from 1919 to 1922, a passenger's name might be recorded on a passenger list and/or on a Form 30A, Ocean Arrivals. If the passenger’s name was recorded on a passenger list, their name would be included in Collection search.
If the passenger’s name was recorded on a Form 30A, it can be consulted on the microfilm reel. Visit our Form 30A, Ocean Arrivals 1919-1924 page for more details.
1925-1935
Starting in 1925, a new passenger list form was introduced called the Canadian Government Return (CGR). These lists are arranged by port and date of arrival, then identified by volume and page numbers. For each port for each year, the numbering starts from volume 1. The images are digitized but not attached to Collection search.
To browse these records:
- Note the arrival date, ship's name, volume, page and microfilm reel numbers from the record in Collection search.
- Select the appropriate port from the list on the Microform Digitization page and then the appropriate reel number.
- You will then have to scroll through the images until you find the proper volume and page number.
Land border entry lists from 1925 to 1935 for last names starting with the letter C have also been indexed in Collection search. See our Border entry records, 1908 to 1935 page for more details regarding these records.
American ports
Many immigrants and other travelers to Canada arrived at American ports. (For example, many Italians arrived at New York because there were direct sailings from Italian ports to New York.)
Passenger lists for New York and other Eastern US ports were created by Canadian immigration agents starting in 1905. The Canadian lists are available in Collection search and include only the names of passengers who said they were heading directly to Canada. Some lists include only a few names, so there may be references to more than one ship on a page.
The complete passenger lists that were created by American immigration officials are in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in the United States.
- These lists can include additional information about the passenger not included on the Canadian lists.
- American passenger lists are searchable in databases on various subscription and free websites.
About passenger lists
Passenger lists are lists of people arriving at an official port of entry. Generally, each record shows:
- the name of the ship
- its port(s) and date(s) of departure
- its port(s) and date(s) of arrival in Canada
- the name, age, sex, profession, nationality and destination of each passenger aboard
Later lists contain more information on the passengers, such as their health, religion, previous visits to Canada, family relationships and cash on hand.
Most lists recorded the passengers according to the type of accommodation. These were usually First cabin, Second cabin and Steerage. Many immigrants travelled in Steerage class, because it was the most economical.
On some lists, there is a page that lists name of the Captain (Master of the vessel), and information about the ship, such as tonnage, and inspections by the Immigration Agent and Ship Surgeon. Often there is a tally (count) of the number passengers.
The lists recorded the names of all passengers regardless of their country of origin or nationality. The indexes generally do not include the names of returning Canadians, tourists, visitors and immigrants enroute to the United States. To locate those references, you must search the original passenger lists.
Some lists did not survive for the years from 1865 into the early 1900s. The most common reason was that some smaller shipping lines did not submit their lists as required.
The content of the database were not translated. The language reflects the original language used in the documents.
Starting in 1865, passenger lists for arrivals were kept for the port of Quebec. Immigration offices were later set up at additional ports of entry.
The immigration offices were responsible for the official reception and documentation of immigrants.
Passenger lists were received from the shipping companies and then forwarded to the Immigration department in Ottawa.
Passenger lists exist only from the time a port was designated an official port of entry.
After landing at Canadian ports, most passengers continued their journey by train. There are no passenger lists for trains.
Other places to look
If a passenger or ship arrived before 1865, search Immigrants before 1865.
If the passenger arrived between 1906 and 1920 and cannot be found in Collection search see Manifest Indexes, 1906 to 1920.
Partners who also have indexes and digital images:
- All our passenger lists and Form 30A records are searchable by name on Ancestry.ca (free at LAC and many public libraries).
- Many of the records are searchable by name or by browsing images on FamilySearch.org (free, registration required).
See our Immigration records page for abbreviations and terminology. It also has information about other arrival records, including where to find records after 1935.
Access the records
Some of the images are attached to the records and can be accessed directly in Collection search.
Many of the images are digitized on microfilm reels that will need to be accessed separately. For these records, note the reference information from Collection search and consult the About the records section for information on how to consult the digitized microfilm.
If you prefer to search the microfilm rather than digitized images, you can see them in person.