Daily AncestorDec.
Dec. in a date usually means December; do not read it as deceased, which is written dec'd or decd.
Dec. is the ordinary short form of December. Because deceased is also shortened, some readers mistake a date like 4 Dec. 1820 for a death note. A death mark usually reads dec'd, decd. or d.
Before 1752 in British colonies, December was the tenth month of the year, which is why it is sometimes written 10ber or Xber.
As seen in a recordEntry in a family Bible register
Wm. Hart, b. 4 Dec. 1820
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Daily Ancestor. "Dec.." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/abbreviations/dec-month. Last checked 2026-10-01.