Canada Census, 1911 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Enumeration for the 1911 census began 1 June 1911.

These records include population schedules of the census. They also contain indexes to population schedules of the census. The official census date was June 1st. The national government of Canada has taken censuses every ten years since 1871, and every five years since 1971.

Provinces in Canada were divided into districts, which were then subdivided into sub-districts. Each district received a number and each sub-district was assigned a second number. In the more-populated areas of Canada, schedule 1 was used to record the residence, date of birth, immigration information occupation and other details. In the less-populated areas, schedule A1 was used to record the month of birth, age, place of birth, the marital status, and religion.

Census records give you details about individuals and their families. They are useful for finding people and their families at a time and place. Census records are often checked first by researchers because a large amount of information may be given about individuals within a family group.

Since the boundaries varied from census to census, it is not easy to tell which Census District an eastern Canadian township or western Canadian village was in.

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * Name of each person in family
 * Place of residence
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Marital status
 * Date of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Year of immigration
 * Year of naturalization
 * Nationality
 * Religion
 * Occupation

How to Use the Record
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, and what to do if no record is found.

When searching: As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as the name of ancestor, approximate year and place of residence.

Search the Collection
To search by index: Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Most of the records in this collection are in English; the collection also contains some French records.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.

Related Websites

 * The Canada 1911 Census at the National Archives of Canada
 * 1911 Census of Canada Indexing Project
 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps

Related Wiki Articles

 * Introduction to Canadian Census Records (National Institute)
 * Canadian Census Research (National Institute)
 * Canada Census
 * Canada

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):