Losing someone is hard. Finding the right notice should not add to the stress. Many families and friends need to find Chicago obituaries by last name. Maybe you want to confirm service times. Maybe you want to send condolences or trace a family tree. A simple name search can lead you to the right page in minutes.
Chicago is a big city with many newspapers, funeral homes, and online archives. That can feel confusing at first. This guide makes it simple. You will learn where to look, which sites work best, and how to use a last name search the smart way. You can find recent and past obituaries without wasting time.
Obituaries By Last Name Generator
🕊️ Chicago Obituaries by Last Name
Search Chicago obituary notices and archives by surname.
Chicago Obituaries By Last Name
Chicago is home to many Polish, Irish, Italian, and Black families. Their last names show up often in local obituary notices. Use these common surnames as a starting point for your Chicago obituary search.
- Kowalski
- Nowak
- Wozniak
- O’Brien
- Murphy
- Sullivan
- Kelly
- Ryan
- Rossi
- Russo
- Esposito
- Romano
- Johnson
- Williams
- Jackson
- Washington
- Rodriguez
- Martinez
- Gonzalez
- Nowicki
- Zielinski
- Lewandowski
Best Obituaries By Last Name
The best obituary searches start with a clear last name. Common surnames bring up lots of results, so add a first name or city to narrow things down. Here are popular names people search every day.
- Smith
- Brown
- Davis
- Miller
- Wilson
- Moore
- Taylor
- Anderson
- Thomas
- White
- Harris
- Martin
- Thompson
- Garcia
- Clark
- Lewis
- Robinson
- Walker
- Young
- Allen
- King
- Wright
Ohio Obituaries By Last Name
Ohio has deep German and Amish roots. Many families still carry these traditional surnames. Check local papers and funeral home sites for the best results in Ohio.
- Schneider
- Weaver
- Hoffman
- Yoder
- Troyer
- Hershberger
- Kuhn
- Reinhart
- Bauer
- Fischer
- Keller
- Brandt
- Stout
- Cline
- Hostetler
- Mast
- Baker
- Hensley
- Mullins
- Dillon
- Riley
- Fields
Pa Obituaries By Last Name
Pennsylvania has a rich mix of Pennsylvania Dutch, Polish, Slovak, and Italian families. Each group brings its own surname styles. Try the county newspaper where the person lived.
- Zimmerman
- Stoltzfus
- Kauffman
- Lapp
- Beiler
- Esh
- Zook
- Horst
- Eby
- Martz
- Kline
- Shaffer
- Snyder
- Rhoads
- Kovach
- Petrovich
- Yablonski
- Dombrowski
- DiNardo
- Falcone
- Mazur
- Pagano
Maryland Obituaries By Last Name
Maryland families often trace back to early colonial settlers. Many old surnames still appear across the state. Search by county for faster results, such as Baltimore or Anne Arundel.
- Calvert
- Hammond
- Dorsey
- Tilghman
- Wheeler
- Hopkins
- Carroll
- Gaither
- Owings
- Ridgely
- Warfield
- Beall
- Bowie
- Duvall
- Howard
- Merryman
- Pinkney
- Stewart
- Tyler
- Weems
- Waters
- Hughes
Search Obituaries By Last Name
It is easy to search obituaries by last name on most sites. Type the surname into the search box and pick a date range. Here are more common names to try.
- Adams
- Baldwin
- Bennett
- Campbell
- Carter
- Collins
- Cooper
- Edwards
- Evans
- Foster
- Gray
- Green
- Hall
- Hill
- Hayes
- Jenkins
- Mitchell
- Morgan
- Nelson
- Parker
- Perry
- Reed
Indiana Obituaries By Last Name
Indiana is full of small towns and tight communities. Local papers often print full obituaries with family details. Check the town paper first, then the county library.
- Beck
- Bowman
- Brewer
- Burkett
- Coffman
- Dunn
- Eberly
- Gentry
- Hendricks
- Hubbard
- Jessup
- Kern
- Lamb
- Lindsey
- Marsh
- Nichols
- Oliver
- Pruitt
- Quinn
- Sturgis
- Voss
- Whitaker
Minnesota Obituaries By Last Name
Minnesota has a strong Scandinavian and German heritage. You will see many names ending in son or sen. Try spelling variations, since these names often have more than one form.
- Olson
- Larson
- Hanson
- Lindgren
- Swenson
- Carlson
- Erickson
- Halvorson
- Gunderson
- Bergstrom
- Lund
- Sundberg
- Thorson
- Nygaard
- Rasmussen
- Kopecky
- Moen
- Dahl
- Engstrom
- Holm
- Berg
- Strand
Arizona Obituaries By Last Name
Arizona has a large Hispanic and Native American community. Many obituaries list two last names, so try both. Search by city, like Phoenix or Tucson, to save time.
- Hernandez
- Lopez
- Sanchez
- Ramirez
- Torres
- Flores
- Morales
- Ortiz
- Castillo
- Mendoza
- Valdez
- Begay
- Yazzie
- Tsosie
- Nez
- Benally
- Escobar
- Salazar
- Navarro
- Duran
- Acosta
- Quintero
Texas Obituaries By Last Name
Texas is big, and so is its mix of Hispanic, German, and Czech names. Searching by county helps a lot. Many Texas families also post notices on funeral home pages.
- Reyes
- Cruz
- Vasquez
- Guerrero
- Trevino
- Cantu
- Salinas
- Gutierrez
- Zapata
- Briscoe
- Crockett
- Houston
- Boone
- Schulz
- Mueller
- Kleberg
- Dvorak
- Pena
- Rangel
- Barrera
- Longoria
- Delgado
St Louis Obituaries By Last Name
St Louis has many German, Irish, and Italian families. The Hill neighborhood is well known for its Italian roots. Search the city paper and local parish pages for more details.
- Schaefer
- Meyer
- Niemeyer
- Brockmeyer
- Hoelscher
- Lohmann
- Wiegand
- Koenig
- Vogel
- Hartmann
- Fitzgerald
- Flynn
- Doyle
- Gallagher
- Ruggeri
- Cusumano
- Lombardo
- Marino
- Pollard
- Buford
- Lacy
- Brooks
Iowa Obituaries By Last Name
Iowa has many Dutch, German, and Scandinavian families. Farm communities often share long family histories in their obituaries. Look at county papers for the most complete notices.
- Vanderhoef
- Van Zee
- De Vries
- Hoekstra
- Kessler
- Schroeder
- Wagner
- Albrecht
- Sorensen
- Petersen
- Christensen
- Jorgensen
- Mohr
- Hawkins
- Bruns
- Dewey
- Hogan
- Lange
- Stoll
- Wieland
- Kramer
- Tjaden
Oregon Obituaries By Last Name
Oregon has pioneer families and a growing Asian American community. This gives the state a wide range of surnames. Try city papers in Portland, Salem, and Eugene.
- Abernathy
- Applegate
- Bishop
- Brenner
- Dunham
- Ellis
- Fenton
- Gilman
- Hollis
- Ingram
- Kellogg
- Lockwood
- McCall
- Pierce
- Sheldon
- Tillman
- Underwood
- Wyatt
- Yamamoto
- Nakamura
- Tran
- Chen
Chicago Obituaries By Last Name
Want more help? Here are extra Chicago surnames to try. Do a quick search on a few of them. You may also find suburb records in places like Cicero or Naperville.
- Mazurek
- Sobczak
- Jankowski
- Grabowski
- Pawlak
- Walsh
- Doherty
- Daley
- Burke
- Callahan
- DeLuca
- Moretti
- Ricci
- Bianchi
- Coleman
- Banks
- Hampton
- Booker
- Rivera
- Vega
- Nguyen
- Patel
Tips For Choosing Best Obituaries By Last Name
Picking the right obituary takes a little care. Check the date, the city, and the family names listed. Here are a few more last names to practice with.
- Abbott
- Barnes
- Bell
- Bryant
- Burns
- Chapman
- Cole
- Dixon
- Ford
- Fox
- Graham
- Hunter
- Kennedy
- Lane
- Mason
- Murray
- Price
- Ross
- Shaw
- Spencer
- Warren
- Webb
CONCLUSION
Searching for Chicago obituaries by last name does not have to be hard. You now know the main places to look. Start with the big newspaper sites. Then check funeral home pages and free archives. Each one can give you a different piece of the story.
Take your time with each search. Try the full name first. Then try a maiden name or a nickname. Some obituaries use a middle name or a short form of the first name. A small change in spelling can bring up the page you need. Patience often pays off.
Remember that an obituary is more than a notice. It shares a life story, service details, and the names of loved ones. It can also help with family history and genealogy research. Handle each search with care and respect. We hope this guide helps you find what you need, and we are sorry for your loss.
FAQs
How to find out if someone died in Chicago?
Search the person’s full name with the word “obituary” and “Chicago.” You can also check funeral home sites, or contact the Cook County Clerk, which keeps official death records for Chicago and suburban Cook County.
How can I find an obituary for a specific person in Chicago, Illinois?
Type the full name and “Chicago” into a search engine. Then check local newspaper pages and funeral home sites. Add an age, suburb, or maiden name to narrow the results.
How do I find an old obituary in Illinois?
Start with library archives and free sites like FamilySearch. FamilySearch has Illinois death records from 1916 to 1947, including Chicago and Cook County, and it needs free registration. Local libraries also keep old newspapers.
Can I check if someone has died?
Yes, in most cases. Search obituary pages, funeral home sites, and memorial sites like Find a Grave. For an official answer, ask the county clerk where the person died.
Are death records public in Illinois?
Not fully. Under state law, a relative or a person with a financial interest can get a copy of a death certificate. Plain genealogy copies are open for deaths more than 20 years ago, but not before 1916.
Where can I find obituaries for Chicago, Illinois in 2026?
Check the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times obituary pages first. Then look at funeral home sites in the city and nearby suburbs. Search by name and sort by the newest date to see 2026 notices.
