🗓️ GEDCOM Date Format Converter

Convert a standard calendar date into the GEDCOM date format (e.g. 15 MAR 1950) used by genealogy software like family tree files and record-keeping standards.

Date

What the converter outputs

The date you pick arrives as an ISO string, which is split on the hyphens and reassembled in the order GEDCOM expects, with the month taken from a fixed list of English three-letter codes:

1950-03-15  ->  day 15, month index 2, year 1950
                ->  15 MAR 1950

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Single-digit days come out unpadded: 1875-07-04 becomes 4 JUL 1875, not 04 JUL 1875. Both forms are legal, and every mainstream program reads them the same way. The month codes stay English even in software running in another language, because they are part of the file format rather than the display.

Qualifiers this tool does not add

A GEDCOM date line often carries a word in front of the date to record how sure you are. Type these yourself when you paste the result into a DATE field:

Prefix	Means	Example
ABT	about	ABT 1850
EST	estimated from other evidence	EST 1848
CAL	calculated, as from an age at death	CAL 15 MAR 1950
BEF / AFT	before / after	BEF 4 JUL 1875
BET ... AND ...	a range	BET 1841 AND 1851

The date picker needs a complete day, month and year. For a record that gives only "March 1950" or only a year, write MAR 1950 or 1950 straight into your software — both are valid GEDCOM, and inventing a day to get through this field puts false precision in your tree.

Frequently asked questions

What is the GEDCOM date format?

Day, then a three-letter English month in capitals, then a four-digit year: 15 MAR 1950. No commas, no ordinal suffixes, and no slashes.

How do I record an approximate date in GEDCOM?

Put a qualifier in front, such as ABT 1850 for about, BEF and AFT for a bound, or BET 1841 AND 1851 for a range. Never guess a full date to fill the field.

How are dual dates written for the old start of the year?

As a split year, 24 MAR 1699/00, for dates between 1 January and 24 March in records that began the year on 25 March. GEDCOM accepts that slashed year directly.