Mexico National Census, 1930 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Records
México, Censo Nacional de 1930.

Record Description
Mexico’s first national census was conducted in 1895, but this information pertains to records for the year 1930. The text of the records is in Spanish.

Population schedules consist of large sheets with rows and columns. The sheets are arranged in bundles by municipality and then by place, such as city, village, or ranch. The original schedules are at the National Archives (Archivo General de la Nación) in Mexico City. The records have been preserved on microfilm by the Genealogical Society of Utah

While earlier attempts were made to enumerate the Mexican population, the 1895 census was considered the first federal or national census. Beginning in 1900, censuses were conducted every 10 years. The 1930 census was conducted on May 15 and was the first census in which returns were processed centrally. Because of this, most of sheets still exist. This census is widely recognized as one of Mexico’s best planned and executed censuses, and it is also the only one accessible to the public. Due to under counting and some record loss, primarily for the Federal District, the 1930 census covers about 78 percent of the population, not 90% as previously reported. (This figure is based on 12.8 million persons in the Ancestry.com database extracted from this census compared with a total population in 1930 for all of Mexico in 1930 of 16,552,722 (see Mexico Population 1930). Since the population of Mexico City was 1,029,000 in 1930, there were record losses in areas beyond the Federal District as well, accounting for another 2 million plus persons not covered in the database placed online by Ancestry.com in September 2011.

The Mexico 1930 Census is usually reliable, depending on the knowledge of the informant and the care taken by the census enumerator. Realize that information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or even by a neighbor.

Record Content
The 1930 census includes the following information:


 * City or village and state where census was taken
 * Head of household (jefe de la familia)
 * Full name of each household member (nombre y apellido)
 * Gender (sexo)
 * Male (hombre)
 * Female (mujer)
 * Age (edad)
 * Years (años)
 * Months (meses)
 * Days (dias)
 * Marital status (estado civil)
 * Single (soltero)
 * Married civilly (casado por lo Civil)
 * Married by the church (casado por la Iglesia)
 * Common law union (union libre)
 * Widow (viudo)
 * Divorced (divorciado)
 * Occupation (profesion u ocupacion)
 * Birthplace of each person, if born in Mexico, the name of the state (lugar de nacimiento)
 * Nationality (nacionalidad)
 * Native language (idioma)
 * Religion (religion)

Search the Collection
To search the collection 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.

To browse the collection by image: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "State" category ⇒Select the "Municipality" category ⇒Select the "City" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. 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.

Using the Information
The Mexico 1930 Census is the best source to quickly identify a family group and residence. With the information found, take your ancestor’s age, place of residence, and birth state (if available) to search for him/her in other records. The census identifies other people living in the household and may identify people for whom other records simply do not exist. You need to know the name of your ancestor for those places that are indexed. If the ancestor has a common name, you must know the place of residence to determine which index entry is the correct one. If you do not find your ancestor in the index, use the place of residence and search that place page by page. An important clue found in the Mexico 1930 Census is found in the answer to the question of whether the person was married civilly or by the church. The answer to this question will lead either to find a marriage record in the Civil Registration or the Marriage records of the Catholic Church.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Accept the ages with caution.
 * Given names may not always be the same as the names recorded in vital records.
 * Information may be incorrect.
 * Names may be spelled as they sound.
 * Place names may be misspelled or spelled phonetically.
 * If the family is not at the suspected address, search the surrounding area.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Spanish. For help reading the records, see the following resources:


 * Mexico Language and Languages
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List
 * BYU Spanish Script Tutorial
 * FamilySearch Learning Center videos:
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 1
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 2
 * Reading Spanish Handwritten Records, Lesson 3

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites

 * Online historic maps of Mexico
 * Online histories of Mexico

Related Wiki Articles

 * Mexico
 * Mexico Census

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:  Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image Citation: