 A census name index is an index of names compiled from the census records. If you know the district, sub district, or street, locating the pages containing records of your ancestors is fairly easy. On the other hand, you may not always know where your ancestors lived, and looking through thousands of pages of handwritten records can be a daunting task.
This is where census name indexes can save you hours of browsing. They enable you to search for a person by surname, forename and age. Matching entries will be displayed with a reference enabling you to find the original record in the British Data Archive CDROM sets. We use standard references of the form:
Piece number and folio number
(e.g. RG12/100 folio 50). With that information, you can now make another search for other family members who lived in the same household (see 'How to use the online indexes' for more information).
The census name indexes published on this website have been compiled from census records published on CD-ROM by S&N Genealogy Supplies/British Data Archive. CD issues of the indexes will also be made available quarterly but the most up to date information will be available online first.
For more information about the census records on CD-ROM, visit the S&N Genealogy Supplies website at: www.GenealogySupplies.com
Our indexes
With the help of volunteers, TheGenealogist.co.uk has been compiling a large number of UK census name indexes. We are now making those indexes available to all, online, on a subscription basis.
Each county census has a separate index and partial indexes are constantly updated by our network of indexers. This is an ongoing process and more Census Name Indexes will regularly be made available (see our News page to keep up to date with our upcoming projects).
A brief history of the census
 The census has been taken in England and Wales every 10 years since 1801, except for 1941. From 1841 onwards, the census returns, contain the names of all individuals in the household not just the head of the household.
The 1841 census recorded each person's name, approximate age, occupation and whether or not they were born in the county. From 1851 to 1891 exact ages, relationship to the head of the household, and birthplace were added to the census records. In 1891 the census also shows the number of rooms occupied by a household and whether each person who is working is an employer, an employee or neither.
The country was divided into Districts and Sub-districts. These were further divided into Enumeration Districts. An Enumerator was put in charge of each of these, and his job was to deliver a form called a schedule to each household or institution in his Enumeration District. This was to be filled in by the householder, giving details of everyone who was in that household. |
