Census

A census is a periodic, official enumeration of a country’s population. Census records typically capture a snapshot of a household at a specific date, recording names, ages, relationships, birthplaces, and occupations. The depth of information varies by country and era.

For genealogists, census records are indispensable: they can place an ancestor in a specific location, reveal household members (and therefore family relationships), and show changes in a family between census years. The US census has been taken every ten years since 1790; most records through 1950 are publicly available. The UK census began in 1841. Privacy laws in most countries restrict access to recent census years (typically those taken within the last 70–100 years).