Census Records

The UK Census

Census records are one of the best ways to obtain details of your family after 1841. Every 10 years a census is taken of all the people and households in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Census records collect information about those present in each household in the UK on a given day.

The census asks questions about you, your household and your home and helps build a detailed snapshot of our society. Information from the census helps the government and local authorities to plan and fund local services, such as education, doctors’ surgeries and roads.

The History of the Census

The first census was taken in 1801 covering England, Wales, and Scotland. Its main purpose was to gather information about the population and record each person’s name wherever they were at a single point in time. In that year only a limited amount of information was gathered.  It wasn’t until 1841 that the first “modern” census was undertaken. 

In 1942 a fire destroyed the 1931 census records but a National Register was created in 1939 along the lines of an official census. There was no census in 1941 due to the Second World War.

The Office of National Statistics has a very interesting history of the census on its website here.

National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency run their censuses.

Searching the UK Census

There are a number of websites that allow you to search UK Census Records from 1841 to 1921. Charges may apply to view the details of each record but they can be viewed in person at The National Archives at Kew.

The principal websites are

• The National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk
• Findmypast.co.uk
• ukcensusonline.com