birth certificate

American  

noun

birth certificates plural

1. an official form recording the birth of a baby and containing pertinent data, as name, sex, date, place, and parents.

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birth certificate British  

noun

1. an official form giving details of the time and place of a person's birth, and his or her name, sex, mother's name and (usually) father's name

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birth certificates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birth certificate

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birth certificate

"However, when the baby was born and we went to get the birth certificate, the name Dunyo was no longer there" after the update, she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

"Obviously, to get a passport you need your birth certificate," he explained.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

However, in order to get a passport, people still need to prove their citizenship, which for most Americans, means providing their birth certificate.

From Salon ● Apr. 1, 2026

Until now, a valid birth certificate had been sufficient to establish a person’s U.S. citizenship.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

Within ten minutes, the clerk had faxed over a birth certificate request form with no questions asked.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng