Daily Ancestorcirca
Circa is Latin for "about" or "around," written before a date or number that is approximate: circa 1750, often shortened to ca. or c.
Circa means around. In genealogy it marks a date that is estimated, such as a birth year worked out from an age. The short forms ca. and c. are common in trees and printed books.
When you see circa in someone else's work, find out what the estimate was based on. In original Latin records the word can also mean around in a place sense.
As seen in a recordEntry in a printed family genealogy
Joannes Miller, natus circa 1750
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "circa." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/latin/circa. Last checked 2026-10-01.