Searchable Online Database
Our searchable online database provides details of almost 110,000 people from the Western Isles, from the mid-1700s up to 1920, where you can discover your ancestors, and download handwritten family charts and notes.
Genealogy Service
Hebrides People can help you trace your Western Isles ancestry. Our work is based on 60 years of authoritative research carried out by Bill Lawson, a member of ASGRA and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
Our ‘Cò Leis Thu?’ genealogy service can provide a full family tree for anybody with Western Isles ancestry, and makes a beautiful gift.
Explore the St Kilda archive for free
Thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, all database results for St Kilda are free. Visit the St Kilda archive to see how the database works!
Explore Further
Names of the Western Isles
It is probably only in the last two hundred years that the people of the Western Isles have used surnames. Previously, although people recognised that … Read more
Western Isles Genealogy
One of the major problems with family tracing in the Western Isles is the scarcity and poor quality of written records. The decennial census is … Read more
Genealogical Services
The Hebrides People ‘Cò Leis Thu?’ genealogy service can help you trace your Western Isles ancestors. We specialise in producing family trees that show people’s … Read more
Oral Tradition
Oral tradition includes song, story, and preservation of family relationships. Written records are generally late and of variable quality in the Western Isles compared to … Read more
Name Standardisation
In using any written sources, it is essential to bear in mind that the people of the Islands were overwhelmingly Gaelic speaking. These records were … Read more