Do you have Icelandic-Canadian ancestry? We hope this article gets you started on an exciting journey to discover the lives of your ancestors who immigrated to Canada from Iceland.
Canada is home to over 100,000 Icelandic-Canadians, the largest ethnic Icelandic population outside of Iceland. Icelandic emigration to Canada began after the eruption of the Askja volcano in 1875. By 1914, more than 14,000 Icelanders—about 20% of Iceland’s population—had settled in Canada and the United States.
If you’re a descendant of Icelandic-Canadians and are ready to explore your Icelandic-Canadian heritage, here are four essential steps to help you start your genealogical journey.
Step #1: Start with What You Know About Your Icelandic-Canadian Ancestry
The best place to begin your research is with the information you already have. Talk to family members, particularly older relatives, to gather stories, photographs, and documents about your Icelandic-Canadian ancestors. Use this information to create a preliminary family tree, which will help guide your research moving forward.
Focus on details such as birth, marriage, death, and immigration dates and locations. Be sure to ask about Icelandic names—whether surnames or place names—as these can help you narrow the search for your ancestral town of origin.
Key Questions to Ask Family Members:
• Do you know the names of our Icelandic-Canadian ancestors?
• Where did they live (in Canada and/or in Iceland)?
• When did they immigrate to Canada?
• Are there any family stories or traditions passed down from Iceland?
• Do you have any old documents, photos, or heirlooms that might provide additional clues?
Step #2: Search North American Record Collections
Once you’ve gathered what you can from family stories and documents, the next step is to validate this information in North American record collections. Focus on documents that can help confirm your ancestor’s town of origin in Iceland. Passenger lists may reference a larger region or city in Iceland, while naturalization records often contain specific geographic details. Vital records (see Manitoba Vital Statistics Branch) and church records (see FamilySearch’s Canada, Manitoba Church Records, 1800-1959) may also provide clues about your ancestor’s town of origin.
Remember that Icelandic emigrants often traveled in groups, and records of friends, neighbors, and traveling companions may also provide important clues to their town of origin.
If a town-of-origin cannot be located in the available North American record collections, seek to determine if your Icelandic ancestor became a Canadian citizen. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada hold most of Canada's naturalization records (from 1854 to the present). Canadian citizens can also request these records using an Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Online Request, often processed in a much shorter timeframe.
Useful Sources for Locating Icelandic Towns of Origin:
• Ship Passenger Lists: passenger lists provide key information about immigrant ancestors, and may include their town of origin in Iceland. Canadian passenger lists are available on Ancestry as well as Library and Archives Canada.
• Allan Steamship Line vessels–sailing from the Port of Glasgow to Quebec City–were popular among Icelandic emigrants. Scottish departing passenger lists may also provide clues to a town of origin.
• Immigration Index: Library and Archives Canada maintains several collections of citizenship and naturalization records, which may contain valuable information such as the immigrant's name, age, occupation, and place of origin. Many of these records are digitized and available online.
Step #3: Connect with Icelandic-Canadian Genealogical Societies
Icelandic-Canadians maintain a close-knit community with a deep sense of cultural pride, and several Icelandic-Canadian clubs and genealogical societies focus on genealogical research. These societies often collect letters, oral histories, photographs, and other documents linked to Icelandic immigration to Canada. These societies may also have published family histories related to your immigrant ancestors!
Icelandic Clubs and Genealogical Societies in North America
• The Icelandic National League of North America maintains an extensive library of Icelandic historical and genealogical material.
• Icelandic Roots (membership site) maintains a genealogical database and family tree with over 820,000 individuals.
• New Iceland Heritage Museum (located in Gimli, Manitoba) maintains an archive that includes passenger lists, documents, and personal stories. It is also an excellent resource for learning about Icelandic language and culture.
• Icelandic Canadian Club of Toronto offers seminars and genealogical resources, particularly related to the early Icelandic settlement in Kinmount, Ontario.
Step #4: Validate a Town-of-Origin in Icelandic Census and Parish Records
Once you have identified your ancestral town of origin, you should validate this information with available Icelandic record collections.
Useful Sources for Icelandic Record Collections
• Indexes to Icelandic Census (1870-1890) and church records (baptisms and marriages) are available from Ancestry.
• Online indexes to Icelandic church records are available on FamilySearch; however, the majority of digitized images can only be accessed at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City or FamilySearch affiliate locations.
• The Icelandic National Archives has a wealth of records, including census data and church records, dating back to the 17th century.
For additional resources linked to specific Icelandic regions, see FamilySearch's Iceland Genealogy Wiki.
Icelandic Naming Conventions
Hereditary surnames have limited use in Iceland. Icelanders continue to use patronymic – and, to a lesser extent, matronymic – surnames. Patronymic surnames are derived from the genitive form of the father’s given name, followed by -son (“son”) or -dóttir (“daughter”). For example:
- “Magnús Jónsson” is “Magnús, son of Jón”
- “Anna Guðmundsdóttir” is “Anna, daughter of Guðmundur”
Icelandic immigrants to Canada essentially adopted North American naming conventions. The patronymic name of the first ancestor to settle in Canada is most commonly used, but toponymic surnames (often derived from the family’s ancestral village) were also chosen.
For more information, see FamilySearch’s Iceland Naming Customs.
A Note on Íslendingabók (The Book of Icelanders)
Íslendingabók (The Book of Icelanders) is an online database that contains information about the ancestry of almost all Icelanders—in some cases dating back to the 9th century. Anyone with an Icelandic National Identify number can access this database; however, information is primarily restricted to the individuals’ immediate ancestors.
Conclusion
Whether you're looking to discover your ancestor's specific town in Iceland or hoping to connect with distant relatives, each step brings you closer to understanding your Icelandic-Canadian heritage.
Ready to take the next step in your genealogical journey? Contact Legacy Tree Genealogists today to learn how we can help bring your Icelandic-Canadian ancestry to life.
Mjóifjörður is the ancestral home of Eyjólfur Einarsson and Thóranna Björnsdótter. The Einarsson family settled in Gimli, Manitoba, during the 1880s. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Spike, “Mjóifjörður Panorama 01,” photograph, 2023; Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/: accessed 15 November 2024).
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