Germany Census

Germany   Census
 * A census is a count and description of the population. A few censuses have been taken by various German states, provinces, and cities, and by some ecclesiastical officials. Censuses were not taken nationally in Germany and therefore exist for only a limited number of places and times.


 * German censuses may not be as helpful as censuses from other countries because better sources, such as church records and civil registration, are available. Only the compiled statistical information that was gathered from the censuses is generally available. Census records of some towns and regions may be accessible at various archives, but most are presently not available to researchers.


 * Use census information carefully since accurate information may not have been given to or understood by the census taker.


 * An overview of German Censuses from each province can be found in Dr. Roger P. Minert's book, German census records 1816-1916 : the when, where, and how of a valuable genealogical resource. This book also gives information about why Germans took censuses and what kind of information these censuses contain.


 * Also, see German Census-Taking Before 1871 by Rolf Gehrmann.

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

 * The 1819 census lists include the following information about each resident:

An index to the 1819 census is: Schubert, Franz. Mecklenburg-Schwerin Volkszählung 1819: Register der Familiennamen. Berlin, Germany: Göttingen: Ditterich: Im Selbstverlag, 1981-1986. Two Volumes in Five. (FHL book 943.17 B4s ser. 4.) The indexes are bound at the back of each volume. The index is also found on microfiche 6,001,784-788.


 * The 1867 census lists include the following information about each resident:


 * The 1890 census (fragments only) lists include the following information about each resident:

Information available for an individual will vary according to the form type that they are found on. For all form types the following is listed:
 * Town of enumeration
 * Name of individual

For some forms, the following information may also be listed:
 * Relationship to head of household
 * Gender
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Occupation


 * The 1900 census lists include the following information about each resident:

Mecklenburg-Schwerin

 * Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, Census, 1819 (Mecklenburg-Schwerin Volkszählung, 1819), ($). 1819. Index and images. In German.
 * Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census (Deutschland, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Volkszählung) 1867. Index and images. In German.
 * Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census (Deutschland, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Volkszählung) 1890. Index and images. In German.
 * Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Census (Deutschland, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Volkszählung) 1900. Index and images. In German.
 * Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Germany, Census (Mecklenburg-Schwerin Volkszählung), ($). 1919. Index and images. In German.
 * An indexed extraction of the 1819 Mecklenburg census is to be found at AKVZ Database

Mecklenburg-Schwerin
The Family History Library has the 1819, 1867, 1890, and 1900 censuses for Mecklenburg-Schwerib. Click to go to the catalog listing.

Schleswig-Holstein
Denmark ruled all of Schleswig-Holstein, including Lübeck and parts of Hamburg and Oldenburg, until 1864. Denmark took several censuses of this area. The first census was made in 1769, and subsequent censuses were taken in 1801, 1803, 1834, 1835, 1840, 1845, 1850, 1855, and 1860. The censuses are written in either German or Danish, sometimes with both on the same page. The information contained in the censuses varies according to which year it was taken:


 * 1769. This census names the head of each household and the number of people in the house, grouped by age and sex. It did not take military personnel into account, neither will the researcher find information from estates, monestaries and the Gottorfer areas.
 * 1801-1860. Censuses taken from 1801 to 1860 list each person's name, residence, position in the family, age, marital status, and occupation.
 * 1845 and later censuses. From 1845 on, each census also lists birthplace, the parish of the birthplace, and the length of residency at the census place.

It is often difficult to determine which village belongs to what census district. A good source to find jurisdictions are the two volumes v. Schröder and Biernatzki published: "Topographie des Herzogthums Schleswig" (1854) and "Topographie der Herzogthümer Holstein und Lauenburg" (1855)

Censuses are microfilmed but not indexed. They are arranged by district and city. These census records are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

GERMANY, PREUßEN, SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN - CENSUS

There are efforts underway to extract census records from Schleswig-Holstein. The results can be searched online at http://www.akvz.de or http://www.aggsh.de

The Family History Library has some less significant census records from a number of other German states. These are listed in the Place Search of the catalog under:

GERMANY, [STATE] - CENSUS

Some statistics about censuses taken in Germany are listed under this link

Liste der Volkszählungen in Deutschland

1938 Census for Minorities
In 1939 Extracts of the 1939 German census concerning non-Germanic minorities living in Breslau and other cities was taken with an emphasis is on the Jewish population. A translated sample of the format of the census is below. Click on the image to enlarge it.



A table with film numbers follows which gives the localities that have films for the 1938 census.

[[Media:German_Census_films.pdf|German 1938 Census Film list]]

Searching Census Records
When searching census records, remember the following:


 * Information may be incorrect.
 * The ages listed may not be correct.
 * A given name may not be the same as the name used in vital records.
 * Names may be spelled as they sound.
 * Place-names may be misspelled.
 * Some parts of the census may be illegible.
 * If the family is not at the expected location, you should search the surrounding area.

Wiki articles describing online collections are found at:


 * Germany, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Censuses (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Germany, Westfalen, Minden Citizen Lists (FamilySearch Historical Records)