wid.

Writing & Everyday abbreviation · Genealogy

wid. stands for Widow or widowed, a genealogy abbreviation.

Indicates that a person's spouse had died, in census records, marriage registers and genealogies, as in "wid. of Thomas Hart."

Example: Ann Marsh, wid., 54, lodging-house keeper, born Bristol (1881 census).

Usage notes

Census marital-status columns use codes such as S (single), M (married), W or Wid. (widowed) and D (divorced). A widower may be written widr. Marriage registers often note that a bride was a widow, a clue that her surname came from an earlier marriage.

Related abbreviations

More genealogy abbreviations

• 1C1R – First cousin once removed
• ABT – About
• admr. – Administrator
• aft. – After
• b. – Born
• bap. – Baptized
• bef. – Before
• bet. – Between (date range)
• bur. – Buried
• cem. – Cemetery
• chr. – Christened
• d. – Died

See all 29 genealogy abbreviations →

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