Iceland Church Census - FamilySearch Historical Records

Why Should I Look at This Collection?
If you are looking for an individual that lived in Iceland during this time period these records will help you understand the family and social context in which they lived. The recorded population for this record is nearly 100 percent of the historical population prior to 1900 as nearly the entire population were members of the Lutheran Church.

What is in the Collection?
The church censuses are annual lists of persons living in each parish. The lists were created by the parish priest and were intended to record the education of the children in the household and the Christian behavior of each person. Indexing of this collection by FamilySearch began 23 November 2016. Indexes will be published as they are completed.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
These records will show you the composition of each household in a parish. These communities were very small and there was a high degree of interaction with people on related farms both in their personal lives and in their labors to maintain the farmstead. It is possible that persons on adjacent farms may be related by blood or marriage.

The records usually contain: It may also include information about when they were confirmed members of the Lutheran church and how well they can read the Bible and catechism.
 * Name of the farm where the family lives
 * Name of each person
 * Age
 * Occupation

Collection Contents
These records are arranged by county, then parish (sókn), then by the farm or village. Each book contains several years. Households are listed together, but not all persons in a household may be related. Generally the information includes the individual's given and surnames, age and occupation. These records were largely discontinued in 1953 with the introduction of the National Registry (Þjóðskrár).

Coverage Table
The table below lists what parishes will be included in this collection. The start and end dates indicate the earliest and latest years available. These ranges may not be consecutive and there may be considerable gaps in the records.

Digital Folder Number List
This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. These collections do not include any human-readable waypoint data making them difficult to use. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Iceland Church Census Digital Folder Number List.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images. Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the person
 * The name of the parish where they were living

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep in mind:
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * Your ancestor’s patronymic surname may be abbreviated. Women’s surnames are frequently abbreviated to end with only the letter “d” rather than “dóttir.” Men’s surnames may be abbreviated to end only with the letter “s” rather than “søn.”

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor, carefully evaluate the information given in the record. These records often contain a minimum amount of information so it can be easy to confuse individuals. Compare what information is given with what you already know about your ancestor to make sure it is the correct person. Next, examine the record for new information. Add any new information to your records of the family.

I Found Who I was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age given in the record to find an approximate birth year to begin searching church records.
 * Use the birth year of the oldest child as a starting point to search for the marriage of the parents.
 * Evaluate the information given in the record. This information may give you new details about the person.
 * Extract or transcribe the information into your records. If possible, save a copy of the image as well.

I Can’t Find Who I’m Looking For, What Now?
You may need to search the collection by image. Find the images for the parish and year you want and examine the entries for other localities in the parish to see if the person you are looking for is living at another residence. It is not uncommon for young persons to be working on other farms separate from their families. Older persons as well may move to be supported by an adult child or relative. You may need to search the records of another locality and check the parish burial records to see if the person had died since the last time they were registered.

Also, consider alternate spellings of the person’s names. Check gazetteers to see if there are other places with similar names and check there.

Citing this Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.
 * Collection_citation:"Iceland, Church Census, 1744-1977" Database. FamilySearch. https://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2018. Citing Þjóðskjalasafn Íslands, Reykjavík (National Archives of Iceland, Reykjavik).