San Francisco, California Passenger Lists 1903-1954

The San Francisco Harbor.

The San Francisco Harbor. The Syren & Shipping Illustrated, 17 June 1908. | GGA Image ID # 1473169b9e

Passenger Lists available from the GG Archives from the Port of San Francisco, California. Organized by Date of Departure, Steamship Line, Steamship or Ocean Liner, Class of Passengers, Route, and the Ship's Captain.

Map of the Bay of San Francisco, A New and Improved Street Map from 1877, Drawn, Compiled, and Published by F. T. Newbery, C.E. From the Chris Crofts Collection. | GGA Image ID # 20d5b3b379. Click to View Larger Image.

Front Cover of a Cabin Passenger List from the SS Siberia of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, Departing 26 September 1903 from Yokohama to San Francisco via Honolulu.

1903-09-26 SS Siberia Passenger List

Steamship Line: Pacific Mail Steamship Company (PMSC)

Class of Passengers: Cabin

Date of Departure: 26 September 1903

Route: Yokohama to San Francisco via Honolulu

Commander: Captain J. Tremaine Smith

Front Cover of a PLClass Passenger List from the SS Finland of the Red Star Line, Chartered by the Panama-Pacific Line, Departing 31 July 1915.

1915-07-31 SS Finland Passenger List

Steamship Line: Panama-Pacific Line
Class of Passengers: First Class
Date of Departure: 31 July 1915
Route: New York to San Francisco via The Panama Canal and San Diego
Commander: Captain R. Prager

Front Cover of a Cabin Class Passenger List from the SS President Van Buren of the Dollar Steamship Line, Departing 30 September 1926 from New York to Shanghai

1926-09-30 SS President Van Buren Passenger List

Steamship Line: Dollar Steamship Line
Class of Passengers: Cabin Class
Date of Departure: 30 September 1926
Route: New York to Marseilles via Havana, Cristobal, Balbao, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Kobe, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manilla, Singapore, Penang, Colombo, Port Said and Alexandria
Commander: Captain M. Ridley

1937-12-10 Passenger List for the SS Santa Rosa

1937-12-10 SS Santa Rosa Passenger List

Steamship Line: Grace Line
Class of Passengers: First and Second Saloon
Date of Departure: 10 December 1937
Route: San Francisco and Los Angeles to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama Canal, Colombia, Havana, and New York
Commander: Captain Curt Zastrow

Front Cover, Orient Line SS Orion Tourist Class Passenger List - 8 October 1954.

1954-10-08 RMS Orion Passenger List

Steamship Line: Orient Line
Class of Passengers: Tourist Class
Date of Departure: 8 October 1954
Route: Vancouver BC to Sydney via San Francisco, Honolulu, Suva (Fiji), and Auckland
Commander: Captain A. E. Coles, R.D., R.N.R.

San Francisco is located on the West Coast of the United States at the north end of the San Francisco Peninsula and includes significant stretches of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay within its boundaries.

View of Fisherman's Wharf at San Francisco in 1922.

View of Fisherman's Wharf at San Francisco in 1922. | GGA Image ID # 1717c096b7

Several picturesque islands—Alcatraz, Treasure Island and the adjacent Yerba Buena Island, and small portions of Alameda Island, Red Rock Island, and Angel Island—are part of the city.

Modern Piers at the Port of San Francisco, 1923.

Modern Piers at the Port of San Francisco, 1923. | GGA Image ID # 1717fa5dc2

⚠️ About Accuracy in Historical Records Research Tip

Context. The GG Archives presents passenger lists as faithfully as possible to the original documents. While OCR is generally accurate, portions of these collections—especially image captions and some transcriptions—are typed by hand and may include typographical or spelling variations. The original manifests themselves also contained clerical inconsistencies (names recorded phonetically, mid-voyage corrections, etc.).

What this means for your research:

Search variant spellings of names (e.g., “Schmidt/Schmitt/Smith,” “Giuseppe/Joseph”).
Cross-reference with immigration cards, passport applications, naturalization files, city directories, and newspapers.
Treat manifests as primary sources with historical quirks—use them alongside corroborating records.
For place names, consider historical borders and language variants (e.g., Danzig/Gdańsk, Trieste/Trst).

How to cite. When quoting a name from a manifest, consider adding [sic] for obvious misspellings and include a note such as “spelling as printed in original passenger list.”

Need help? If you spot a likely transcription error in captions, feel free to contact us with the page URL and a brief note—we love community input. 🙏

Curator’s Note

For over 25 years, I've been dedicated to a unique mission: tracking down, curating, preserving, scanning, and transcribing historical materials. These materials, carefully researched, organized, and enriched with context, live on here at the GG Archives. Each passenger list isn't just posted — it's a testament to our commitment to helping you see the people and stories behind the names.

It hasn't always been easy. In the early years, I wasn't sure the site would survive, and I often paid the hosting bills out of my own pocket. But I never built this site for the money — I built it because I love history and believe it's worth preserving. It's a labor of love that I've dedicated myself to, and I'm committed to keeping it going.

If you've found something here that helped your research, sparked a family story, or just made you smile, I'd love to hear about it. Your experiences and stories are the real reward for me. And if you'd like to help keep this labor of love going, there's a "Contribute to the Website" link tucked away on our About page.

📜 History is worth keeping. Thanks for visiting and keeping it alive with me.