Census Records

About the Census | Where can I search Census Records?

Every 10 years a census is taken of all the people and households in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It records information about those present in each household on a given day.

The census asks questions about you, your household and your home. In doing so, it helps to 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 first census in the UK was in 1801 though in that year limited information was gathered and there is much information that has been lost.  It wasn’t until 1841 that the first “modern” census was undertaken. This is the first census which exists to this day.

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 own censuses.