Discover What U.K. and Ireland Passenger Lists Reveal About Your Ancestors’ Journeys

MyHeritage offers access to almost 40 billion historical records that can reveal the stories of your ancestors from all over the world. If you had ancestors who traveled into or out of the United Kingdom in the past century or so, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878–1960 and United Kingdom and Ireland, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890–1960 collections may be especially helpful to you. Together, these collections document over 30 million passengers, and your ancestors may be among them. As most U.K. records from the past 100 years are unavailable to researchers, these passenger lists can help to fill in the gaps in their records.

Whether you already know that your ancestor traveled abroad or if these records are the first evidence you have found of their travels, these passenger lists have great value whatever your ancestor’s situation. Finding an ancestor in a passenger list may give you the missing piece that can explain their absence from records in their home country. So, what exactly could you discover?

Key takeaways from U.K. and Ireland passenger lists

• Filling vital record gaps: These collections contain over 30 million records that bridge the gap for the last 100 years of U.K. history, often providing the only surviving evidence of ancestors.
• Rich biographical detail: Beyond names, these lists serve as “mini censuses,” revealing birth dates, occupations, and next of kin, which can explain an ancestor’s sudden absence or relocation in other historical records.
• Contextual life stories: Examining these documents reveals travel companions, colleagues, and “alien” status, offering deep insights into the professional lives and social circles of both famous figures and private individuals alike.

What can you find in U.K. and Ireland passenger lists?

What you uncover depends on when your ancestor traveled and what country they traveled to and from. Ships in the U.K. kept lists of passengers from 1842, although most of the surviving historical records date from 1890 onwards. Other countries had different rules, so if your ancestor traveled elsewhere in the world, their entry may survive for an earlier date in a separate collection. U.K. passenger lists usually give the passenger’s name and surname, age or date of birth, occupation, current and intended residence, the name of the ship and the date and place of departure. You might also discover their marital status, nationality, the length of their intended stay in the country of arrival and the name of their next of kin. Who they are traveling with may also be an eye-opener.

Can a passenger list tell a life story?

Some passenger lists mention the relationships between passengers, often in the “occupation” column where a woman may be listed as “wife” and their children as “child.” Ages are also commonly found in passenger lists, so they can serve as a kind of mini census. Many families did not travel together. The head of the household often relocated first so they could settle into regular work and find a new home for their family. This means you might find family members in separate lists, possibly several years apart.

Officials created separate lists for British passengers and foreign-born travelers, who are referred to as “aliens.” Make sure to check the whole passenger list for people in your family tree who have different nationalities, for example a husband and wife who were born in different countries.

Iconic journeys found in passenger lists

We can look at examples of familiar people to reveal the different information that we can discover in these fascinating passenger lists.

Bram Stoker: more than just Dracula’s author

Bram Stoker is best known for being the author of Dracula. He can be seen traveling in and out of the U.K. numerous times including in the passenger list below from the United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 collection where he is seen arriving in London, England from New York, U.S. Here, Bram’s occupation is given as “Manager” from the time when he worked at the Lyceum Theatre in London. His fellow passengers are colleagues, including H. J. Loveday, who worked alongside him, and a wide array of performers. This is a great example of how we can discover more about our ancestor’s occupations through their travels, as well as the names of their colleagues.

Record of Bram Stoker on United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960

Winston Churchill: A prime minister at sea

Another frequent traveler was former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In the list below dated December 31, 1951 from the United Kingdom and Ireland, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 collection, we can see 77-year-old Winston’s occupation listed as Prime Minister, having been re-elected to the position two months previously. Like Bram, Winston is traveling with colleagues including police officers and civil servants, with the journey beginning in Southampton, England and due to end in New York, U.S.A.

Record of Winston Churchill on United Kingdom and Ireland, Outgoing Passenger Lists, 1890-1960

Looking at the above, clear differences between the records are apparent. Later records, especially post-Second World War, are typed rather than handwritten, making them easier to read. There is also more information in later records.

Beyond the stage: Judy Garland’s family trip

In another compelling example, below we can see actress Judy Garland, recorded as “Judy Garland Luft” in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 collection. The record captures her arriving in Southampton, England with her husband Sidney, daughter Lorna and son Joseph (otherwise known as Joey) from New York, U.S. in October 1957. This list provides more detail, including the date of birth, address, and marital status of all passengers. Judy and her family are said to live at Grosvenor House in London with her occupation given as “actress.” They are all American citizens planning to stay in the U.K. for 8 weeks.

Record of Judy Garland and her family on United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960

Peter Lorre: An ‘alien’ arrival in London

As a final example, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 collection we can see actor Peter Lorre arriving in Southampton, England, from New York on November 7, 1935. Peter is listed traveling with his wife Cecilie (otherwise known as Celia Lovsky) on the ship Berengaria. He is stated to be a 31-year-old actor whose proposed address in the U.K. is the Mayfair Hotel in London. Interestingly, this is an example of an “alien” list of passengers where foreign-born travelers were listed separately. Whilst Peter is listed as having been born in Hungary, other fellow passengers were born in Japan, Finland and Denmark. 

Record of Peter Lorre on United Kingdom and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960

Ready to dig deeper? Start your search

If you have luck finding your ancestors in MyHeritage’s passenger lists, the next step is to see if there is any evidence of their life in their new country in any of the additional billions of historical records on MyHeritage, such as census records and newspapers. You may be surprised to discover what they got up to overseas. What prompted their journey? These additional sources may uncover the reasons for your ancestor’s trip. Using the given examples above, newspapers tell us that Winston Churchill was traveling to meet with President Truman whereas Peter Lorre had a new filming contract in England. You may find your ancestors also traveled for work, or perhaps for a fresh start in a new unfamiliar land. Who knows where in your family history these passenger lists could take you? Start searching these historical records on MyHeritage today.

Chloe O’Shea is an English genealogy specialist with an MA in Museum Studies and founder of The Past Revealed. She has authored several books, including Tracing your Staffordshire Ancestors (2025), and is a regular contributor to Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, Family Tree, and Dorset Magazine.