Daily Ancestoracte
Acte means "record" in French genealogy, a single written entry, as in acte de baptême, baptism record, or acte de décès, death record.
Each entry in a parish or civil register is an acte. The kind is named after it: acte de baptême and acte de sépulture in church books, acte de naissance and acte de décès in civil registers.
French civil actes often have notes in the margin that refer to other documents, such as a later marriage, a correction or the legitimation of a child. Always read the margin before moving on.
As seen in a recordHeading of a French civil marriage record, 1860s
Acte de mariage de Félix Morinville et de Domitille Mercuret
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Daily Ancestor. "acte." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/french/acte. Last checked 2026-10-28.