Norway Census, 1875 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in Norwegian
Folketellingen for kongeriget Norge den 31te desember 1875

Collection Time Period
This census was taken on December 31, 1875.

Record Description
The census is handwritten on printed forms. It is arranged by county, clerical district, farm number, and residence. The original records are preserved in the regional archives throughout Norway. The records are in Norwegian.

Record Content


The census includes the following information:


 * Full name
 * Gender
 * Role in the household
 * Position in the family
 * Whether temporary or permanent resident
 * tThose absent from the parish and their location at the time of the census
 * Marital status
 * Occupation
 * Year of birth
 * Place of birth
 * Citizenship
 * Religion
 * Crops and animals (if the residence is a farm)
 * Other miscellaneous information

How to Use the Records
The 1875 census is a good source to quickly identify a family group since it lists who is in the household and how they are related. Use the place of residence, birthplace, and date of each person to search for other types of records, such as church records.

Record History
The 1875 census was conducted beginning December 31, 1875, and all the information recorded should pertain to that date even though some information was gathered at a later date. This census includes 99% of the population. The census contains the persons name, sex, whether resident or temporary resident, those absent from the parish and their location at the time of the census, position in the family, occupation, marital status, year of birth, place of birth, religion if a person did not belong to the state church, and other miscellaneous information.

Why this Record was Created
The Norwegian government created the census primarily as a source of statistical information on Norway’s population.

Record Reliability
The 1875 census is fairly reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care of the census enumerator. Information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or by a neighbor. As a result, some information may have been incorrect.

Related Web Sites
WebMeta Database Selector

Related Wiki Articles
Norway Census

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should also list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the Wiki Article: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Examples of Source Citations for a Record in This Collection:
"Norway Census, 1875." index only, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org): accessed 31 March 2011. entry for Anders Helgesen, census 31 December 1875; citing census Søby farm, Aremark, Østfold, farm number 154a, number 7; National Archives of Norway, Oslo.

Sources of Information for This Collection
"Norway 1875 Census," index, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org); from National Archives of Norway. Norway 1875 Census. National Archives of Norway. FHL microfilm, 469 reels. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah