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Ancestry Library: Census Records: Home

Addtional Census Resources

Family Search
U.S. & selected International Census data   

Heritage Quest Online
Database via Hawaiʻi State Public Library System
Includes U.S. Census data
Select Heritage Quest from the list that appears,
and login with HSPLS library card number.

Hawaiʻi Census Guide 
from UH Mānoa Library
Detailed information on Hawaiʻi Census records (1830s+)

About Census Records

Census records can help you find: name of family members, ages, birthplace, residence, occupation, immigration and citizenship details, marriage information, and more. 

Since 1900,  Hawaiʻi has been included in the U.S. Census and these records are available in Ancestry Library. Prior to 1900, the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi also conducted censuses. Find more info on the earlier censuses and where their records are located via this UHM Research Guide on Hawaiʻi Censuses.

Census Search Tips from Ancestry Library

  • U.S. Federal Censuses from 1900-1930 include a date of immigrations for immigrants. Use that date to help you find your ancestor's arrival record in the Immigration Collection
  • Pinpoint your ancestor’s location from the census on a map, and then look for churches, cemeteries, and other places where your ancestor may have left records.
  • If you’re having a difficult time locating your ancestor, try searching using only given names and other details like birth year, residence, family members, place of birth, etc.
  • Occasionally, census takers only recorded initials in place of the given name. Using only a first initial will bring up these records.
  • Census takers didn’t always have the best penmanship, so if you’re having a hard time locating your ancestor, write out the name and try replacing some of the letters with letters that look similar.

More Census Search Tips

U.S. Census: Next Steps

Census Search Secrets

Download Blank U.S. Census Forms

Includes records from these collections:

U.S. Federal Census Collection

  • Covers 1790-1940 (the 1890 census was mostly destroyed in a fire)
  • Hawaiʻi was included from 1900-present
  • Includes Indian Census Rolls, 1885-1940

Selected state census records

U.K. Census Collection

Canadian Census Collection

Australia Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980

New Zealand Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981

Enumeration Sheets

Enumeration sheets are the forms used by census enumerators to gather information from people. Information may include the following: the person's name, place of residence, sex, age, occupation, educational level, language spoken, country of origin.

For privacy reasons, the U.S. Census Bureau does not release enumeration sheets until 72 years after the census has been conducted. The most recent enumeration sheets available for Hawaiʻi are from the 1940 decennial census, released in 2012. Enumeration sheets from the 1950 decennial census are scheduled to be released in 2022.

Source:
UHM Library Guide on Hawaiʻi Censuses