Find your ancestors in New York City Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

Uncover essential details about your family in these passenger lists from New York City, the largest city in the United States, between 1820 and 1957. Learn new information about your ancestors like their age at their time of arrival and the name of the ship they traveled in, information that can help you to continue your family history research.

What can these records tell me?

This collection includes more than 59 million records, showing the arrival of travelers in New York City for over 130 years. While the information for each person can vary, New York City Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 usually provides:

  • First and last name
  • Age
  • Birth year
  • Birth country
  • Arrival year
  • Arrival city
  • Ship name

    • Discover more about New York City Passenger Lists, 1820-1957

    These records are a crucial piece of history illustrating the massive immigration to the United States through the city of New York during the 1800s and early 1900s. Millions of Americans can trace their ancestors back to ships arriving in New York City, and Ellis Island in particular. As well as being a hub for immigration, New York was also a major commercial and industrial center and the passenger lists show that many Americans returned to their country through the port of New York. In fact, the passenger lists only end in the second half of the 20th century as air travel became more common than travelling by sea.

    Arriving in New York City was just the first step of a long journey for many families in the United States. Use these records to find out new information that will allow you to expand your family history and continue your research. The details you uncover can then help you to locate your relatives in our other collections.