Austria, Vienna Population Cards - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection is an index of population cards for individual residents of the city of Vienna, Austria from 1850-1896. Many people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Eastern Europe passed through Vienna and may also be included on these cards. The cards include name, birth date and place, marital status, old and new places of residence, dates of arrival and departure. Occasionally the name of spouse and children are listed. Many people from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Eastern Europe passed through Vienna and are included on the cards.

The broader collection was maintained from 1850-1928. The current publication, however, only includes information on individuals born before 1897 because of privacy restrictions for those born in the last 100 years.

All the forms are in German and the majority of the names are in German. However, because Vienna was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire some names are written in the languages of the Empire. The records were in a generally good state of preservation at the time that they were microfilmed from 1981-1995. This collection contains 3.8 million hand written entries recorded on pre-printed cards.

The registration of Vienna residents began in the middle of the 15th century. The city was divided into 8 districts around 1850. Between 1850 and 1904 these eight districts were subdivided and supplemented bringing the number of districts to 21. The Zentralmeldeamt (central registration office) was created in 1889 and associated with the Vienna police department. The cards cover most of the population of Vienna. This type of registration informed the government of who was in the city of Vienna and where they resided within the city. These are generally very reliable records, being information directly reported by residents about themselves and their families.

Reading These Records
For help reading these German records see the following guides:
 * German Language and Languages
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Germany Handwriting
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading German Handwritten Records

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Vienna Population Cards
 * District and street address
 * Name of the individual registering
 * Occupation
 * Place and country of birth
 * Home town and home country
 * Birth date, religion, and marital status
 * Name(s) and age(s) of spouse and children
 * Previous residence
 * Date of the registration

Sample Image
Click on images for a larger view.

How Do I Search This Collection?
When searching, it is helpful to know at least one of the following:
 * Your ancestor's name
 * Age and or residence
 * An estimated event year
 * A relative’s name

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 track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?
Whenever possible, view the original records to verify the information and to find additional information that might not be reported. These pieces of information can lead you to additional records and family members.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age in the record to find an approximate birth year, which will help you find their other records
 * Use the information to find your ancestors in civil records. There may not be census records available but these can help you find additional family members
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found to find more generations of the family

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Consult the Austria Record Finder to find other records
 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Look for another index. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records. *Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Austria.
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Austria Record Finder

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.