Census
The census was taken every 10 years. The NRS holds a complete set of census returns for all of Scotland from 1841 to the present. There are almost no records available prior to 1841. To protect the privacy of individuals, census returns may only be inspected after 100 years. The 1911 census is the latest available for public view at present.
A city search is available for all censuses. The cities are included in the county/city/shipping dropdown on each census search page online. Each index entry lists the surname, forename, sex, age, registration district and county.
Censuses provide a lot of information. However requirements in each census varied and some decades will render more data than others. When you view a census image, navigate back to the previous page or forward to the next page of the census enumeration book. This is particularly useful if details of the household in which you are interested extend over two pages.
Be aware that all people present in the household were recorded even when they resided elsewhere. It is also possible that the person you are researching may not have been recorded where you expect to find them. They may have been living and working elsewhere, staying with relatives, travelling, in an institution, hospital, prison, at sea, etc. The person may have moved out of Scotland. Emigrants may have changed their surname when they left Scotland. Conversely, immigrants may have changed their surname when they arrived in Scotland.
In Scotland, married women generally retained their maiden surname in the records. In census records, however, married women are usually recorded under their married name, although a widow might revert to her maiden name after the death of her husband, or be indexed under a married surname if they have been married before.
A child may have assumed the name of a stepfather if the mother remarried. A child may have been brought up under a different name from the birth name. The disappearance of a child’s name or a parent’s name can indicate that the person died during the period between censuses. But don’t make this assumption as the person may have been recorded while visiting another address.
In earlier decades when no relationship to the head of the family was recorded, John Macdonald and Tom Macdonald may be presumed to be brothers. However, it is possible that they were cousins or uncle and nephew.
Also be aware that census takers were often not scholarly. Mis-spelling of names often occurred due to lack of schooling or due to hard of hearing. Names were also often recorded phonetically and may bear little resemblance to the name you are searching.
Encompass surname variants in your search including the use of two names (e.g. Fraser-Smith). Anomalies of Macdonald can be: Mcdonald, Macdonnell, Macdonnel, Mcdonnell, Macdonnell etc. it is very common for a person to be registered as Mc in one record and Mac in another. Forename abbreviations (e.g. William, Wm., Willm.), or the use of diminutives (e.g. Margaret – Meg), nicknames/pet names, or middle names as first names. These variants can also change in later censuses, e.g. as a child matures.
If you have trouble finding the data you require, consider the following. The enumerator may have recorded the address in abbreviated form, or the enumerator may have misspelled the address on the return (for example, Tolbooth Close may have been recorded as Tollbooth Close). Transcription errors during the indexing process may also play a part.
A city search is available for all censuses. The cities are included in the county/city/shipping dropdown on each census search page online. Each index entry lists the surname, forename, sex, age, registration district and county.
Censuses provide a lot of information. However requirements in each census varied and some decades will render more data than others. When you view a census image, navigate back to the previous page or forward to the next page of the census enumeration book. This is particularly useful if details of the household in which you are interested extend over two pages.
Be aware that all people present in the household were recorded even when they resided elsewhere. It is also possible that the person you are researching may not have been recorded where you expect to find them. They may have been living and working elsewhere, staying with relatives, travelling, in an institution, hospital, prison, at sea, etc. The person may have moved out of Scotland. Emigrants may have changed their surname when they left Scotland. Conversely, immigrants may have changed their surname when they arrived in Scotland.
In Scotland, married women generally retained their maiden surname in the records. In census records, however, married women are usually recorded under their married name, although a widow might revert to her maiden name after the death of her husband, or be indexed under a married surname if they have been married before.
A child may have assumed the name of a stepfather if the mother remarried. A child may have been brought up under a different name from the birth name. The disappearance of a child’s name or a parent’s name can indicate that the person died during the period between censuses. But don’t make this assumption as the person may have been recorded while visiting another address.
In earlier decades when no relationship to the head of the family was recorded, John Macdonald and Tom Macdonald may be presumed to be brothers. However, it is possible that they were cousins or uncle and nephew.
Also be aware that census takers were often not scholarly. Mis-spelling of names often occurred due to lack of schooling or due to hard of hearing. Names were also often recorded phonetically and may bear little resemblance to the name you are searching.
Encompass surname variants in your search including the use of two names (e.g. Fraser-Smith). Anomalies of Macdonald can be: Mcdonald, Macdonnell, Macdonnel, Mcdonnell, Macdonnell etc. it is very common for a person to be registered as Mc in one record and Mac in another. Forename abbreviations (e.g. William, Wm., Willm.), or the use of diminutives (e.g. Margaret – Meg), nicknames/pet names, or middle names as first names. These variants can also change in later censuses, e.g. as a child matures.
If you have trouble finding the data you require, consider the following. The enumerator may have recorded the address in abbreviated form, or the enumerator may have misspelled the address on the return (for example, Tolbooth Close may have been recorded as Tollbooth Close). Transcription errors during the indexing process may also play a part.