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GEDCOM: Standards, File structure & Versions

FamilySearch GEDCOM, or simply GEDCOM (/ˈdʒɛdkɒm/ JED-kom, acronym of Genealogical Data Communication), is an open file format and the de facto standard specification for storing genealogical data. It was developed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the operators of FamilySearch, to aid in the research and sharing of…

Language: English [EN]
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GEDCOM topic overview

The analysis highlights Standards, File structure and Versions as prominent areas in the source structure around GEDCOM.

Related topics
36
Source areas
7
Connected nodes
43
Extracted relationships
145
Concept neighborhoods
18
Bridge connections
43

What this topic covers Research coverage

Source areas are shown by the number of related topics found in each part of the analysis. Use smaller areas too: they can reveal specialized angles and content gaps.

Overview · 14 topics
File structure · 7 topics
Versions · 5 topics
Data model · 4 topics
GEDCOM X · 3 topics
Limitations · 2 topics
Alternatives · 1 topics

Smaller areas are not necessarily less important. They contain fewer connections in this analysis and can be useful for finding specialized angles or coverage gaps.

Key facts & relationships

High-confidence facts extracted from structured source data. Use them as anchors for further research.

Developed by
LDS FHD
Initial release
1984; 42 years ago (1984)
Internet media type
application/vnd.familysearch.gedcom application/vnd.familysearch.gedcom+zip
Latest release
7.0.18 17 February 2026; 6 months ago (2026-02-17)
Open format?
yes
Standard
De facto

Explore all related topics Closing gaps

Browse the complete topic structure, not only the most central items. Less prominent entities and concepts can reveal missing angles, specialized context and useful research gaps. Each item opens a new analysis centered on that subject.

Overview

Data model

File structure

Versions

Limitations

GEDCOM X

Alternatives

Advanced semantic analysis

Deeper signals for content research, entity SEO and topical coverage. The plain-language headings explain what each technical view is useful for.

How GEDCOM connects Entity context

The extracted context around GEDCOM shows recurring relationship patterns in the source. For example, GEDCOM → Although, Every, FAM, For, Gedcheck, HEAD, INDI, LDS Church, NOTE, OBJE, PhpGedView, REPO, SOUR, SUBM, SUBN, The Windows GEDCOM Validator, TRLR, Within Another extracted example is GEDCOM → An, ANSEL, Chinese, CJK, Despite, East Asian, FamilySearch, Its, Japanese, Korean, Lineage-linked GEDCOM, November, PAF, The, Unicode, Uniform, UTF-8, UTF-8 GEDCOM. Use these groups to spot repeated connection types before inspecting the individual relationships.

GEDCOM

Top relations

related to File structure · 18
GEDCOM → Although, Every, FAM, For, Gedcheck, HEAD, INDI, LDS Church, NOTE, OBJE, PhpGedView, REPO, SOUR, SUBM, SUBN, The Windows GEDCOM Validator, TRLR, Within
related to Versions · 18
GEDCOM → An, ANSEL, Chinese, CJK, Despite, East Asian, FamilySearch, Its, Japanese, Korean, Lineage-linked GEDCOM, November, PAF, The, Unicode, Uniform, UTF-8, UTF-8 GEDCOM
related to Alternatives · 13
GEDCOM → Although, Commsoft, Event GEDCOM, Event-Oriented GEDCOM, Gramps, Gramps XML, However, InterGED, PhpGedView, Roots, Ultimate Family Tree, With Roots, XML-based
related to External links · 10
GEDCOM → April, Archived, GEDCOM StandardFamilySearch GEDCOM GuideGEDCOM, LDS Church's Adoption, More, November, Project, Retrieved, THE GEDCOM STANDARD Release, XML Standard
related to Ordering of events that do not have dates · 10
GEDCOM → But, FAM, FAMS, For, GEDCOM's INDI, In, In Aldfaer, The, The GEDCOM, XML GEDCOM
related to Internationalization · 9
GEDCOM → Finally, First, FONE, NAME, ROMN, Secondly, The GEDCOM, Unicode, UTF-8
related to Data model · 8
GEDCOM → AFAMrecord, Although, FAM, ID, INDI, The, TheFAMrecord, These
related to GEDCOM X · 8
GEDCOM → Apache, API, FamilySearch, In August, In February, It, RootsTech, Ryan Heaton
related to Support for multi-person events and sources · 8
GEDCOM → CENS, Gramps, In, Some, The GEDCOM, The Master Genealogist, This, When
related to Conflicting information · 6
GEDCOM → BIRT, For, January, The, The GEDCOM, This

Important terminology

Use these terms to understand the vocabulary surrounding the topic, not as a checklist for keyword stuffing.

Important terminology

standard file data familysearch records genealogical specification information events family genealogy format release software version support event example also used

GEDCOM relationships Subject–Predicate–Object triples

TTTA extracted 145 structured relationships around GEDCOM. Examples in this analysis include GEDCOM → Developed by → LDS FHD and GEDCOM → Filename extension → .mw-parser-output .monospaced{font-family:monospace,monospace} .ged. The table shows each extracted connection, where it came from and its confidence.

SubjectPredicateObjectConfidenceSrc
GEDCOMDeveloped byLDS FHD1.00infobox
GEDCOMFilename extension.mw-parser-output .monospaced{font-family:monospace,monospace} .ged1.00infobox
GEDCOMInitial release1984; 42 years ago (1984)1.00infobox
GEDCOMInternet media typeapplication/vnd.familysearch.gedcom application/vnd.familysearch.gedcom+zip1.00infobox
GEDCOMLatest release7.0.18 17 February 2026; 6 months ago (2026-02-17)1.00infobox
GEDCOMOpen format?yes1.00infobox
GEDCOMStandardDe facto1.00infobox
GEDCOMType of formatGenealogy data exchange1.00infobox
GEDCOMWebsitegedcom.io github.com/familysearch/GEDCOM1.00infobox
GEDCOMis adeliberate de facto common denominator0.90text
namesinstance ofThis file contains genealogical information about individuals0.80text
eventsinstance ofThis file contains genealogical information about individuals0.80text

Related concept clusters Concept neighborhoods

The concept neighborhoods around GEDCOM bring nearby vocabulary together. In this analysis, examples include File, Standard and Specification. Use the clusters to find adjacent concepts and terminology that may deserve separate research.

  • GEDCOM
    • File
    • Standard
    • Specification
    • Event
    • Software
    • Events
    • Family
    • Format
    • Version
    • Genealogy
    • One
    • Project
  • gedcom
    • File
    • Standard
    • Specification
    • Event
    • Software
    • Events
    • Family
    • Format
    • Version
    • Genealogy
    • One
    • Project
  • open file format
    • Source
    • Open
    • Genealogy
    • Gedcom
    • Multimedia
    • Citation
    • Genealogical
    • Lds
    • Project
    • Standard
    • Records
    • Information
  • familysearch
    • Lds
    • Open
    • Genealogical
    • Project
    • Format
    • Genealogy
    • Release
    • Standard
    • File
    • Family
    • Information
    • Specification
  • family tree
    • Links
    • Record
    • Fam
    • Specification
    • Support
    • Event
    • Software
    • Genealogy
    • Citation
    • Events
    • Information
    • Individuals
  • genealogy software
    • Programs
    • Project
    • Also
    • Lds
    • Events
    • Open
    • Standard
    • First
    • Sources
    • Support
    • Version
    • Used
  • data model
    • Standard
    • Format
    • Support
    • Specification
    • Sources
    • Gedcom
    • Genealogical
    • Genealogy
    • File
    • Family
    • Citation
    • Open
  • nuclear family
    • Links
    • Record
    • Fam
    • Specification
    • Support
    • Event
    • Software
    • Genealogy
    • Citation
    • Events
    • Information
    • Individuals

Connections between topic areas Semantic bridges

For GEDCOM, one of the stronger structural bridges in this analysis connects GEDCOM with Overview. Bridges highlight paths between different parts of the map and can reveal research angles that are easy to miss in a flat list.

Min side: 3
GEDCOM — Overview · splits 29 ⟂ 15
GEDCOM — File structure · splits 36 ⟂ 8
GEDCOM — Versions · splits 38 ⟂ 6
GEDCOM — Data model · splits 39 ⟂ 5
GEDCOM — GEDCOM X · splits 40 ⟂ 4
GEDCOM — Limitations · splits 41 ⟂ 3

Map overview Semantic statistics

GEDCOM

Nodes44
Edges43
Triples145
Avg. degree1.95
Density0.045455
Components1

Source & methodology

TTTA analyzes the structure around GEDCOM to surface related topics, entities, relationships, concept neighborhoods and bridge connections. Use the map to explore areas such as Standards, File structure & Versions, including less central topics that may reveal useful research gaps. Automatically extracted connections are research leads rather than rewritten encyclopedia content.

Source: Wikipedia — GEDCOM · EN edition · Analysis: TopicsToTalkAbout

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