Obituary & people search
Search Louisiana Obituaries
Look up obituaries, death records and people by name.
- Search by name
- All 50 states + D.C.
Obituaries in another state
State Obituaries (all states)AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Obituary guide
How to find an obituary in Louisiana
For a recent death, start with the funeral home's website and the newspaper obituary pages for the parish where the person lived. For an older obituary, especially in the New Orleans area, use the New Orleans Public Library and City Archives obituary indexes, LSU's digitized newspapers, and the Louisiana State Archives.
What to have ready
- Full name, including a maiden name or nickname
- Approximate date and place of death (city and parish, since Louisiana has parishes, not counties)
- Age at death or birth year
- Names of close relatives (spouse, children, parents)
Tip: Knowing the parish narrows the search the most. Local papers and archives are organized by parish.
Where to look, by when the person died
| When the person died | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Last few years | Funeral home websites; The Times-Picayune (NOLA.com) obituaries; Legacy.com's Louisiana page |
| 1990s to recent decades | New Orleans City Archives' Times-Picayune obituary index (1972–2011); newspaper databases at your parish library with a library card; the State Library's obituary index guide |
| Older or historic | New Orleans Public Library's Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index (New Orleans papers, 1804–1972); LSU's Digital Louisiana Newspaper Project; Chronicling America; microfilm at parish libraries; local genealogy societies |
| Official death record | The State Archives has a death index for deaths more than 50 years ago. More recent records come from Vital Records. See how to order a Louisiana death record. |
Major newspapers' obituary pages
- The Times-Picayune / NOLA.com: loaded with current obituaries on our check
- Legacy.com's Louisiana page: an index of Louisiana newspaper and funeral home notices
- The Advocate (Baton Rouge) and The Shreveport Times have obituary pages, but their sites blocked our check, so try them directly.
Libraries and archives
- State Library of Louisiana genealogy: the library notes that death records stay confidential for 50 years and that older ones are at the State Archives.
- Louisiana State Archives research library
- New Orleans Public Library and its Louisiana Biography and Obituary Index
- New Orleans City Archives obituary index
- LSU Digital Louisiana Newspaper Project: 128 titles from 1836–1922, about 328,900 pages
Timeline expectations
- Recent obituaries: these appear online once the family or funeral home publishes them, so timing varies.
- Archives: New Orleans indexes reach back to 1804. Outside New Orleans, coverage varies by parish.
- State Archives copies by mail: a $5 photocopy or a $10 certified copy, according to the State Archives. Turnaround isn't stated.
Tips
- New Orleans has the deepest indexes in the state. Check the NOPL index (to 1972) and the City Archives index (1972–2011) before searching page by page.
- The State Archives death index is limited to deaths more than 50 years before the end of the current year.
- Spellings of French surnames vary, so try alternate spellings.
Last verified:
Note: Coverage years, fees and web addresses are set by the libraries, archives and newspapers listed and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not affiliated with them.