What Are Passenger Lists?

Front Cover of a First Class Passenger List for the SS Rotterdam of the Holland-America Line, Departing Friday, 9 October 1931 from Rotterdam to New York via Boulogne-sur-Mer and Southampton, Commanded by Captain Lieuwen. | GGA Image ID # 17cb90dabf

📑 What Are Passenger Lists?

Passenger lists were more than just rosters of names — they were essential travel documents, social souvenirs, and, today, invaluable historical records. From the 19th century through the mid-20th, nearly every ocean voyage produced a printed passenger list, often preserved by families as keepsakes of their crossing.

✨ Definition & Purpose

A passenger list is a printed booklet or folio prepared by the steamship line, usually given to every cabin-class traveler. It typically included:

• Names of passengers (often grouped by class of travel)
• Senior officers and staff of the ship
• Information for travelers (meal times, services, regulations)
• Illustrations or photographs of the vessel
• Fleet lists or sailing schedules for the company
• Advertisements for hotels, railways, or future voyages

These lists served two main functions:

Souvenir & Social Tool – Travelers could see who was aboard, arrange introductions, and later keep the booklet as a memory of their voyage.

Marketing Piece – Steamship lines treated lists as subtle advertising, designing beautiful covers that passengers would take home, show friends, and hopefully inspire repeat bookings.

📰 Historical Context

An 1891 travel guide described passenger lists as:

“Every traveler may have at least one interesting souvenir of the voyage across the Atlantic. The names of the passengers…are neatly printed upon folios along with a blank chart for recording the progress of the voyage…They are not only prized as souvenirs, but they are invaluable in assisting one to make acquaintances—or avoid them.”

Many lists even included a blank log chart so passengers could record the ship’s daily progress, and some ships published onboard miniature newspapers with gossip, poems, and entertainment reviews — a glimpse of life at sea.

🧭 Why Passenger Lists Matter Today

For modern audiences, passenger lists remain invaluable:

• Genealogists – Trace immigrant ancestors, family migrations, or elite leisure travel.
• Historians – Study social class, migration trends, and transatlantic culture.
• Collectors – Value covers with fine artwork, rare ships, or historically significant voyages.
• Educators & Students – Use lists as primary sources to explore global history, travel, and design.

Passenger lists don’t just document a journey — they reveal who was aboard, why they traveled, and how ocean liners connected continents.

🔎 Alternate Names for Passenger Lists

Passenger lists are referred to in many ways, depending on context:

• Ship Manifests (often confused with immigration documents)
• Ellis Island Passenger Lists
• Ships List / Ship Lists
• New York Passenger Lists / Boston Passenger Lists
• Immigrant Passenger Lists
• German Passenger Lists
• Steamship Passenger Records

These terms are often used interchangeably, though technically manifests were government immigration records, while passenger lists were souvenirs issued by the steamship companies.

📚 Related Reading

Passenger List Collections
– Browse nearly 2,000 passenger lists in the GG Archives.

Who's Who On Board: The Secrets In The Passenger List
– How passenger rosters reveal social networks and stories.

Difference Between Passenger Lists & Manifests
– Understanding government vs. souvenir documents.

Ephemera & Design in Passenger Lists
– The art and advertising behind these collectible booklets.

Front Cover of a Tourist Third Cabin Passenger List from the SS Normandie of the CGT French Line, Departing Wednesday, 24 July 1935 from Le Havre to New York via Southampton, Commanded by Captain René PUGNET O. | GGA Image ID # 1f36e9f20c

Front Cover of a Tourist Third Class Passenger List for the MV Vulcania of the Cosulich Line - Trieste, Departing 19 August 1930 from Naples to New York via Cannes, Commanded by Captain Antonio Hreglich. | GGA Image ID # 1ecdb0195d