Lebanon Emigration and Immigration

Online Records

 * 1869-1883 Passports (1869-1883); Registros del Consulado Español en Trípoli, Libia, Consulado Español (Tripoli, Lebanon), images.
 * 1890-1960 Passenger Lists Leaving UK 1890-1960 at FindMyPast; index & images ($); includes those with Destination of Lebanon
 * 1946-1971 Free Access: Africa, Asia and Europe, Passenger Lists of Displaced Persons, 1946-1971 Ancestry, free. Index and images. Passenger lists of immigrants leaving Germany and other European ports and airports between 1946-1971. The majority of the immigrants listed in this collection are displaced persons - Holocaust survivors, former concentration camp inmates and Nazi forced laborers, as well as refugees from Central and Eastern European countries and some non-European countries.
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Lebanon, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Lebanon, index and images, ($)
 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

"Syria" and "Lebanon"in Records
'From the early 16th Century until World War I, Syria and the Mount Lebanon region were part of the Ottoman Empire. For this reason, most Lebanese and Syrians immigrating before 1918 had Turkish passports, and were grouped in U. S. Census Abstracts under the heading "Turkish" or "Asian." After the First World War, Lebanon and Syria operated under French mandate, gaining independence in the 1940s.

The close relationship of these two countries from the earliest days of recorded history helps explain a present-day puzzle. Until the 1950s, most of the immigrants referred to themselves as "Syrian" whether they came from Syria or the Mount Lebanon region. One explanation is that at the time of their heaviest immigration, "Syria" was a familiar word in the United States, and "Lebanon" was not; to simplify things, they said "Syrian." ' by Sandra Hasser Bennett, Genealogy Today

Lebanese Church Records in the United States
"According to Historian Philip Hitti, in 1924 there were 34 Maronite churches, 21 Greek Catholic churches, 24 Antiochian Greek Orthodox churches, 31 Syrian Greek Orthodox churches, and a few Mosques attending to the religious needs of Lebanese and Syrian people in the United States. by Sandra Hasser Bennett, Genealogy Today U.S. directories will be helpful in churches which are useful in finding information about your Lebanese immigrant ancestors.

"Contact the Church your relatives attended. For many immigrants, it was the center of their cultural and social lives, and may have birth, marriage or death records of your family. The Church will certainly know the history of that particular congregation, possibly even have it in writing. You will want this information because it will help in your personal research. If you contact the church by mail, enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. There may be a charge for any record they provide, but in any case, make a donation for their help." by Sandra Hasser Bennett, Genealogy Today

Lebanese Diaspora

 * The Lebanese diaspora, while historically trade-related, has more recently been linked to the Lebanese Civil War, with many Lebanese emigrating to Western countries. Because of the economic opportunities, many Lebanese have also worked in the Arab World, most notably Arab states of the Persian Gulf like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
 * France has always been an important destination for the Lebanese diaspora, because Lebanon used to be a French colony and because French language is massively spoken in Lebanon.
 * The largest concentration of Lebanese outside the Middle East is in Brazil, which has, according to some sources, at least 6 million Brazilians of Lebanese ancestry, making Brazil's population of Lebanese more than twice that of the entire population of Lebanon.
 * There are also other large Lebanese communities in Latin American countries, namely Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Venezuela, Haiti and Dominican Republic.
 * Many Lebanese have also been settled for quite some time in the United States, Australia, France, Canada, The United Kingdom, South Africa and in the European Union member states. There are also sizable populations in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore as well as francophone West Africa, particularly Ivory Coast and Ghana.

Immigration: Refugees

 * In May 1948, Lebanon supported neighboring Arab countries in a war against Israel. 100,000 Palestinians fled to Lebanon because of the war. Israel did not permit their return after the cease-fire. As of 2017 between 174,000 and 450,000 Palestinian refugees live in Lebanon with about half in refugee camps.
 * In 2012, the Syrian civil war threatened to spill over in Lebanon, causing more incidents of sectarian violence and armed clashes between Sunnis and Alawites in Tripoli. According to UNHCR, the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon increased from around 250,000 in early 2013 to 1,000,000 in late 2014.

For Further Reading
There are additional sources listed in the FamilySearch Catalog:
 * Lebanon Migration Profile
 * Lebanese Americans