Italy Census

A census is a count and description of the population. Various governments of Italy and some ecclesiastical officials have taken censuses at different times, mostly for taxation purposes.

Italian census records do not provide as much information as census records of other countries. Church records and civil registration records are usually better sources for Italy. Census records, however, can be valuable because they list much of the population, and they can provide certain information if other records are incomplete or missing.

A record called the stato delle anime is similar to a census. See the "Church Records" section of this article for more information.

Understanding the Census
The first census of Italy was taken in 1871. Since then, a census has been taken every 10 years.

You will generally find more complete family information in censuses taken from 1911 to the present. The censuses contain the following information:


 * 1871–1901. These censuses are of limited use and are not uniform in content. In most regions, the census named only the head of household, his occupation, and the number of persons in the house.
 * 1911 and later. These censuses list the names, ages, occupations, relationships to the head of the household, and birthplaces of each member of a household.

Use census information with caution, however, since the information may have been given to a census taker by any member of the family or a neighbor. Some information may have been incorrect or deliberately falsified.

Availability of Census Records
Census records up to 1991 are held in the state archive of each province. Census records from 1911 or 1921 to 1991 are also usually found in each comune’s anagrafe (register’s office). The availability to the public differs from comune to comune.

The Family History Library has the census records of one Italian province on microfilm. You can find it by looking in the Locality Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

ITALY, PARMA- CENSUS

Family Status Certificates (certificati dello stato di famiglia)
Research use: Records are arranged into family groups and clans. Records frequently give at least three generations. Information includes where families came from and new places of residence when families moved. The records are very valuable in compiling family groups. They have the same value as a census or a family history. Civil censuses have not been recommended for filming. It is, therefore, critical that these be acquired where possible. Some large cities do have the historical copies of this record.

Record type: A type of local census showing family groupings and vital information for each member of the family within the community.

Time period: 1820- present.

Contents: Given name and surname of the head of the household and all individuals in that household, and the relationships to the head of household. May also include some or all of the following: names of parents of named persons, including the maiden name of the mother; profession; place and date of birth; place and date of death; marital status; residences of family members who have moved from the community and the date of departure.

Location: Communal archives. Some communities have disposed of earlier records.

Population coverage: 95%-100% of the population in areas where it exists.

Reliability: Usually accurate.

Accessibility: Where these records are available access is usually limited to staff searches for interested individuals. For some of the historical documents, searches may be permitted by the public but could require significant amounts of time.

Also See
Sicilian Riveli Records

Italian Census Records Online