Today, a funeral home and a mortuary are essentially the same thing: both are licensed businesses that care for the dead and help families arrange funerals, burial and cremation. The two terms, along with "funeral parlor" and "funeral chapel," are used largely interchangeably, and the name a business uses usually reflects regional habit or history more than any difference in services.
There are still a few distinctions worth knowing, especially when you are comparing providers, crematories and cremation companies.
The terms at a glance
| Term | What it usually means today |
|---|---|
| Funeral home | A licensed business offering care of the body, arrangements, services, and coordination of burial or cremation. The most common term in most of the US. |
| Mortuary | Same services as a funeral home. The name is more common in some regions, including parts of the West. In other contexts it can refer to a place where bodies are kept, such as a hospital or medical examiner facility. |
| Funeral parlor | An older term for a funeral home, from when the "parlor" was the room in a home where wakes were held. |
| Funeral chapel | A funeral home with a chapel for services, or a business that uses "chapel" in its name. |
| Crematory (crematorium) | A facility with the equipment to perform cremations. May be owned by a funeral home or operate separately. |
| Cremation provider or society | A business focused on cremation arrangements, especially direct cremation. It may own a crematory or contract with one. |
Where the words come from
"Mortuary" comes from the Latin word for death. In the 19th century, many funerals took place in the family home, with the body laid out in the front parlor. As that work moved to dedicated businesses, the terms "funeral parlor" and later "funeral home" took over, reflecting a place that felt like a home. "Mortuary" was used by some businesses as a more formal name, and it remains common in certain regions.
Is there any real difference?
In everyday use, no. Whether a business calls itself a funeral home or a mortuary, it generally:
- Transfers the body from the place of death
- Files the death certificate and obtains permits
- Offers embalming and other preparation
- Hosts visitations and services, or coordinates services elsewhere
- Arranges burial, cremation or transfer to another location
- Sells caskets, urns and other goods, though you are free to buy these elsewhere
Licensing is handled by each state's funeral board or equivalent agency. In most states, the license is for the establishment and for the funeral directors or embalmers who work there, regardless of what the business is called. You can usually check a license on the state board's website.
Every funeral provider, whatever it calls itself, must follow the FTC Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453). That means prices by phone, a written General Price List, and the right to choose only the goods and services you want. See the FTC Funeral Rule: your rights.
Mortuary in the medical sense
The word "mortuary" is also used for a room or facility where bodies are kept before release, such as a hospital mortuary or a county medical examiner's facility. That is not a business families hire. When a person dies in a hospital, the body may be held in the hospital's morgue or mortuary until the funeral home you choose picks it up.
Funeral home vs crematory
This is the distinction that matters most in practice:
- A funeral home arranges and conducts services and handles the paperwork. Many offer cremation but do not perform it themselves.
- A crematory is the facility where cremation actually takes place. Some funeral homes own one on site, some share one, and some use an independent crematory.
If you choose cremation, it is reasonable to ask where the cremation will happen, who operates the crematory, and how the person is identified and tracked. See what happens during cremation and browse crematories and cremation services.
Funeral home vs cremation provider
Some businesses offer only, or mostly, cremation. They often focus on direct cremation, with no viewing or service, and may have lower overhead. A full-service funeral home can also offer direct cremation, and its price may be competitive. Comparing the "direct cremation" line on each General Price List is the simplest way to know.
Funeral home vs cemetery
A cemetery sells burial rights, opens and closes graves, and maintains the grounds. A funeral home handles the care of the body and the service. Some companies own both, and some cemeteries have a funeral home on the property. Even then, the costs usually appear as separate items: the funeral home's charges and the cemetery's charges for the plot, opening and closing, and outer burial container. See how much does a funeral cost.
Which one do you need?
| Your situation | Where to start |
|---|---|
| A traditional funeral with visitation and burial | A funeral home, mortuary or funeral chapel |
| Direct cremation with no service | A cremation provider or funeral home that lists direct cremation |
| A memorial service after cremation | Either, or a place of worship or other venue |
| A specific religious tradition | A funeral home familiar with it, such as Jewish funeral homes, Catholic funeral homes or Muslim funeral homes |
| A pet | A pet cremation service, see pet cremation explained |
Whatever the name on the sign, the questions are the same: what is included, what does it cost, and does the provider respect your wishes. Our how to choose a funeral home guide walks through them, and you can browse mortuaries and funeral chapels by state on our states page.