Historical German church documents were all written incorporating the common symbols and abbreviations of their geographical and historical location. Whether found in Latin, French or German contexts, these symbols and abbreviations are unfamiliar today and often unintuitive to the modern reader. Some of the most common symbols and abbreviations are given in the below charts.
Symbols
| Example | Transcription | English/Explanation |
| Haberk | Names may be underlined. |
| Siebenten /7/ Juni.. | A word or number contained between slashes is simply a restatement or clarification of the preceding word or number. |
| Zehnte (10) | A word or number contained within parentheses is simply a restatement or clarification of the preceding word or number. |
| 22 :/ Zwei und Zwanzigsten :/ Mai | A word or number contained between colons and slashes is simply a restatement or clarification of the preceding word or number. |
| evan,, gelish | Two commas, a small equals sign or a dash after a word means that it is continued on the next line. |
| Joh: | Symbols like the colon, comma or period after a conspicuously short word or name indicate that it has been abbreviated. |
| Johan̄a | A line over a letter means that that letter is normally doubled. This happens most often with the letters m and n. |
| + | Such a cross next to a name indicates that they are deceased. If there is a date by the cross, that is the individual's death date. |
| ∞ | Marriage, typically with the date of the marriage next to it. |
| * | Birth or baptism, typically with the date next to it. |
| d | Symbol or abbreviation for the, it typically precedes a date. |
| Sunday | |
| Monday | |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | |
| Saturday |
Abbreviations
| Example | Abbreviation | German/Latin | English |
| 7bris | September | September |
| A. C. | Augsburger Bekenntnis | Augsburg Confession |
| Ao | Anno | In the year... |
| cop. | copuliert | Married |
| Dom. | Sonntag | Sunday |
| ehel. | ehelich | legitimate |
| evang. | evangelisch | Protestant |
| Fol. | Folio/Folium | Page |
| geb. | geboren | born |
| hl. | Heilige | Holy |
|
| Joh: | Johannes | John (many common names may be abbreviated like this) |
| kath. | katholisch | Catholic |
| nachm. | nachmittags | in the afternoon |
| Nro. | numero | Number |
| ux. | uxor | Wife |
| vorm. | vormittags | in the morning |