Death Records and Death Certificates in Virginia
Virginia Death Records
The state population was recorded 8,535,519 on July 1, 2019, a 6.7 percent increase since the 2010 United States Census. The state’s most populous ethnic group, Non-Hispanic whites, has declined as a proportion of population from 76 percent in 1990 to 61 percent in 2019, as other ethnicities have increased. People of English heritage settled throughout the Commonwealth during the colonial period, and others of British and Irish heritage have since immigrated. On the 2018 American Community Survey, eleven percent said they were of German ancestry.
This page is created to provide genealogists and researchers an ultimate guide to the state of Virginia death records. Use the links and the tips below for Virginia death records, certificates, online tools and databases. Additional information on how to obtain Virginia death certificates is available below.
How to Find a Death Record in Virginia
Virginia death records search
This webpage gives you access to all of the online databases containing Virginia death records, Virginia death certificates, Virginia death notices, Virginia death indexes, and other related Virginia genealogy records.
Virginia death records free
Below are some of the most comprehensive resource for death records in Virginia.
Virginia Death Index
Virginia death records database
Links to Virginia death and burial indexes and databases are as below:
- Virginia Deaths and Burials Index, 1853-1917
- Virginia Death Records, 1912-2014
- Bureau of Vital Statistics Death Records, 1853-1912
Virginia social security death index
The Social Security Death Index contains information on millions of deceased individuals in Virginia with social security numbers whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Try the links below to search the index:
Public Death Record Virginia
In addition to the indexes and databases above, there are some other resources that gives to almost the same or might even more information about a deceased individual. Here are some to check out:
Virginia Death Certificates
How to get a death certificate in Virginia
Virginia registration of births, deaths, and marriages began on a county level in 1853 and continued until 1896. Many counties abandoned registration during the Civil War, or recorded only a small percentage of events. Except in some independent cities, records were not kept between 1896 and 14 June 1912, when statewide registration of vital statistics began. Early records, 1853-96, have been microfilmed and are available at The Library of Virginia and the FHL. Marriage bonds and licensing were in place from the 1600s in Virginia, though are sporadic and fragmented. They are usually found among the county levels of records, and are often published. For birth and death records from 1913-present and marriages from 1936-present, write:
Virginia Department of Health
Office of Vital Records
James Madison Building
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, VA 23208
Tel: 804-786-6228 or 804-786-6201
Virginia death certificates online
Use the links below to get death certificates and vital records in Virginia.
Virginia Death Notices
Check local newspapers and local online news websites which frequently publish notices. Use the link below for more information on Virginia news agencies.
Virginia counties for death record research
- Accomack County
- Albemarle County
- Alexandria County
- Alleghany County
- Amelia County
- Amherst County
- Appomattox County
- Arlington County
- Augusta County
- Bath County
- Bedford County
- Bland County
- Botetourt County
- Bristol County
- Brunswick County
- Buchanan County
- Buckingham County
- Buena Vista County
- Campbell County
- Caroline County
- Carroll County
- Charles City County
- Charlotte County
- Charlottesville County
- Chesapeake County
- Chesterfield County
- Clarke County
- Colonial Heights County
- Covington County
- Craig County
- Culpeper County
- Cumberland County
- Danville County
- Dickenson County
- Dinwiddie County
- Emporia County
- Essex County
- Fairfax County
- Fairfax County
- Falls Church County
- Fauquier County
- Floyd County
- Fluvanna County
- Franklin County
- Franklin County
- Frederick County
- Fredericksburg County
- Galax County
- Giles County
- Gloucester County
- Goochland County
- Grayson County
- Greene County
- Greensville County
- Halifax County
- Hampton County
- Hanover County
- Harrisonburg County
- Henrico County
- Henry County
- Highland County
- Hopewell County
- Isle of Wight County
- James City County
- King and Queen County
- King George County
- King William County
- Lancaster County
- Lee County
- Lexington County
- Loudoun County
- Louisa County
- Lunenburg County
- Lynchburg County
- Madison County
- Manassas County
- Manassas Park County
- Martinsville County
- Mathews County
- Mecklenburg County
- Middlesex County
- Montgomery County
- Nelson County
- New Kent County
- Newport News County
- Norfolk County
- Northampton County
- Northumberland County
- Norton County
- Nottoway County
- Orange County
- Page County
- Patrick County
- Petersburg County
- Pittsylvania County
- Poquoson County
- Portsmouth County
- Powhatan County
- Prince Edward County
- Prince George County
- Prince William County
- Pulaski County
- Radford County
- Rappahannock County
- Richmond County
- Richmond County
- Roanoke County
- Roanoke County
- Rockbridge County
- Rockingham County
- Russell County
- Salem County
- Scott County
- Shenandoah County
- Smyth County
- Southampton County
- Spotsylvania County
- Stafford County
- Staunton County
- Suffolk County
- Surry County
- Sussex County
- Tazewell County
- Virginia Beach County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Waynesboro County
- Westmoreland County
- Williamsburg County
- Winchester County
- Wise County
- Wythe County
- York County