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

She delivered the baby and was listed as the mother on the birth certificate, even though she had no genetic connection to the child.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"Since I'm not Sudanese, I have no birth certificate, so... I can't go there," she explained.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

“If your family is homeless and sleeping in your car, you’re not really focused on where’s my birth certificate, where’s my documentation.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

He had no surname until his final year of high school, when he applied for a birth certificate.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Though Sonali is the name on her birth certificate, the name she will carry officially through life, at home they begin to call her Sonu, then Sona, and finally Sonia.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri