Passengers of the Titanic

A total of 2,208 people sailed on the first trip of the RMS Titanic, the second of the White Star Line’s Olympic-class ocean liners, from Southampton, England, to New York City. The ship was very big and fancy, carrying people from many places.

During the trip, the ship struck an iceberg and sank on the early morning of 15 April 1912. This sad event caused many deaths, and it changed how ships were built and used forever.

The passengers were divided into three classes by how much their ticket cost. First-class passengers were often rich, including important business leaders, politicians, and members of high society. Second-class passengers were usually middle-class travelers, such as professors and tourists. Third-class, or steerage, passengers were mainly immigrants hoping for a new life in countries like the United States and Canada.

First Class

The Titanic's first-class passengers were some of the most well-known and wealthy people of the time. Tickets for first class cost a lot of money. Passengers could enjoy special places like a gym, a swimming pool, and even a barbershop. They also had personal helpers with them, like maids and cooks.

Many famous people from both Britain and America were on the ship. Some were members of British nobility, while others were rich business people and leaders from the United States. Even a famous actress and a tennis player were travelling in first class. The ship offered many comfortable features for its richest guests.

Second Class

Second-class passengers were tourists, teachers, church workers, and families from Britain and America. The ship's musicians stayed in second-class rooms. An adult second-class ticket cost £13. Second-class passengers had their own library and a smoking room for men. Children in second class could read books or play games.

Twelve-year-old Ruth Becker pushed her little brother in a stroller.

Two Roman Catholic priests on the ship held mass each day for second- and third-class passengers.

Rev. John Harper, a well-known Baptist pastor from Scotland, was traveling to the United States with his daughter and sister to speak at the Moody Church in Chicago.

Schoolteacher Lawrence Beesley spent much of his time in the library.

The Laroche family were the only known passengers of black ancestry on the ship. They were going to Haiti.

Another French family in second class was the Navratils. Michel Navratil brought his two sons on the ship to travel to the United States. After the ship sank, the boys were cared for by Titanic survivor Margaret Hays until their mother came from Nice, France. The last living second-class survivor was Barbara West; she was 10 months old when the ship sank.

Third Class

Third-class passengers on the Titanic were people hoping to start new lives in the United States and Canada. They paid £7 for their tickets, which sometimes included the cost of train travel to the departure ports. Children paid £3.

These passengers came from many different places, including Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, Central and Eastern Europe, the Levant, and Hong Kong. Many were families joining husbands who had already gone to America to find work. Some larger families included John and Annie Sage with their nine children, and Anders and Alfrida Andersson with their five children and relatives.

Third-class passengers had their own dining area with chairs and meals prepared for them. They had their own cabins with beds, blankets, and running water. There were separate areas for men and women, and public bathtubs for each group. Passengers could relax in the common room, play games, or explore parts of the ship. Children often played in the common room or looked around the vessel.

Ticket-holders who did not sail

Many famous and important people had tickets to travel on the Titanic but did not sail on the ship. Some planned to board later in New York for the trip back to Plymouth, England. Tickets that were not used are now valuable historic items. Notable people who had tickets but did not sail included Theodore Dreiser, Henry Clay Frick, Milton S. Hershey, Guglielmo Marconi, J. P. Morgan, John Mott, George Washington Vanderbilt II, and Edgar Selwyn.

Passengers by ethnicity

The Titanic carried passengers from many different backgrounds. The Laroche family, including father Joseph Philippe Lemercier Laroche and his daughters Simone and Louise, were the only known passengers of Black ancestry. They were traveling to Haiti, Joseph’s native island, to find a better life.

There were passengers from many other countries as well. Eight travelers were from China, and six of them survived. After being rescued, they continued their journey to the United States. From the Ottoman Empire, which included areas such as Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, there were over 80 passengers. Many were from what is now Lebanon, with some surviving the disaster.

Survivors and victims

Main articles: Sinking of the Titanic and Lifeboats of the Titanic

On the night of 14 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and started to sink. The crew got the lifeboats ready and asked for help. The ship Carpathia came several hours later but could not get to everyone in time. The lifeboats followed a rule: women and children would go first.

After the Titanic sank, the Carpathia saved the people in the lifeboats. Many people were saved, but some sadly did not survive. The ship helped find bodies and took them to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where families could try to identify them. Some bodies could not be identified and were buried in local cemeteries.

Passenger list

This is a list of people who were on the Titanic's first and only trip. The list includes a special group of nine people who helped make sure the ship was safe, and the eight members of the ship's band. They were counted as both passengers and crew. You can also see the list of crew members on board Titanic.

The names are shown in different colors to tell if they were saved or not. For those who were saved, we say which lifeboat they were on, but this is not always exact. For people whose bodies were found after the ship sank, a small mark next to a number tells which ship found them:

• MB – CS Mackay-Bennett
• M – CS Minia
• MM – CGS Montmagny
• A – SS Algerine
• O – RMS Oceanic
• I – SS Ilford
• OT – SS Ottawa

Numbers 324 and 325 were not used. Six bodies were buried at sea and were not numbered.

Cross-channel passengers

The Titanic also had 29 cross-channel passengers. These people got on the ship in Southampton. They got off at Cherbourg, France, or Queenstown, Ireland.

First passenger survivors to die

Some people who survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic later passed away in the years that followed.

The first former passenger to die after the disaster was Richard Williams, who was just 31 years old. He passed away on August 20, 1912, only six months after the Titanic sank.

Other early deaths among survivors included Achille Sauro, who died in May 1913, and John Hillyer, who passed away in November 1913. These passengers all faced health problems or other challenges after their time on the Titanic.

Last passenger survivors to die

The Titanic was a big ship that traveled from England to America on its first trip. Sadly, it hit an iceberg and sank, and many people could not be saved. Some of the last people who were still alive when help arrived were older when the ship went down. They lived for many years after the disaster before passing away naturally.