bef.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Genealogy

bef.
Stands forBefore
CategoriesWriting & Everyday

bef. stands for Before, a genealogy abbreviation.

Indicates that an event happened before a given date, used in genealogical records when only an upper limit is known, as in "d. bef. 1790."

Example: Died bef. 12 May 1790, when his widow was named in a deed.

Usage notes

In GEDCOM the modifier is BEF. Genealogists derive such dates from evidence such as wills, deeds or a spouse being described as a widow. The counterpart is aft. (after). Writing bef. avoids presenting a guess as an exact date.

More genealogy abbreviations

  • 1C1R – First cousin once removed
  • ABT – About
  • admr. – Administrator
  • aft. – After
  • b. – Born
  • bap. – Baptized
  • bet. – Between (date range)
  • bur. – Buried
  • cem. – Cemetery
  • chr. – Christened
  • d. – Died
  • d.s.p. – Decessit sine prole (died without issue)

See all 29 genealogy abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.