Ancestors in the Records:
Other Western European Records: Census Records

Most Western European country took at least periodic censuses. Census records were usually kept by the government, although some churches, such as in Italy, did keep records very similar to censuses.

Census records can be important genealogy sources. Instead of showing a family event by event such as most civil registration and parish records do, census records give a one-time glimpse of the entire family. By viewing the family all at once, you can see who was living in the household and verify relationships. Some census records, particular earlier ones, contain only very basic information. Others may give an abundance of details possibly including names, ages, relationships, birthplaces (sometimes general and other times specific towns), and religious affiliations.

As with U.S. census records, accept the information in European census records with caution. Mistakes could easily enter in. Incorrect ages and other small errors are common. Some census records of Western European countries are available online. It’s worth doing a search for the particular census you’re interested in to see what’s available. Also, check to see the availability of indexes, which can save you hours of valuable time, before using the records themselves.

Census records in some countries are extremely helpful in locating and learning more about families. In England, censuses were taken every ten years (except 1941) since 1801. After 1851, the censuses list the name of everyone in the household. Some of these are indexed either online or on microfilm. Sweden and Finland kept census records that predate some church records, although the records often only contain taxable people (excluding the very old and very young as well as soldiers and their families). Denmark also took censuses with genealogical information beginning in 1787, then taken irregularly until 1840, every five years until 1860, every ten years until 1900, and then again every five years.

Germany (which didn’t exist as a nation until 1871) took no national censuses. However, some localities did take their own. The most important of these are from Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Schleswig-Holstein.

Some censuses aren’t considered very important for genealogy research. Italy and France also took censuses, although records for these countries are considered less useful and more difficult to use. Not many of them have been filmed. The Netherlands took national censuses every ten years from 1829 until 1929. Some individual localities in the Netherlands also took their own censuses. Even the national censuses, however, are usually kept at the local level, and many have not been filmed. Norway also took periodic censuses, some with only basic information, and some with more useful information.