The 1841 census was the first to record the names of the inhabitants, their gender, and age, rounded to the lower five years when over age 15 and it is the earliest British census used by most genealogists and family historians, for they have been preserved and images have been made. These census documents were sent to a central government location for tabulation and reference.

The 1851 census included those persons living on vessels in inland waters or at sea, including the Royal Navy and merchant navy. Persons serving abroad with the armed forces and those workin with the East India Company were enumerated, and British subjects residing overseas were also counted.

Between 1861 and 1891, there were few changes in the format and questions asked on the census, with the addition of questions concerning the languages spoken. This question was added for enumerations in Scotland beginning with 1881 census and for Wales beginning with the 1891 census.

The 1901 census included questions to elicit more precise responses. Examples of 1841 and 1901 censuses in Scotland and Ireland. Census records' contents are protected for a period of 100 years. The 1901 census information was released in 2001 which includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. Separate enumerations for Scotland and Ireland were taken.

Census Date

• Monday, 10 March, 1801
• Monday, 27 May, 1811
• Monday, 28 May, 1821
• Monday, 30 May, 1831
• Sunday, 6 June, 1841
• Sunday, 20 March, 1851
• Sunday, 7 April, 1861
• Sunday, 2 April, 1871
• Sunday, 3 April, 1881
• Sunday, 5 April, 1891
• Sunday, 31 March 1901
  

The Irish government took an independent census in 1813, and then censuses were taken every ten years from 1821-1911. Due to the Irish Civil War, no census was taken in 1921, but the next census was done in 1926. The next censuses were taken in 1936 and 1946. From 1946 to 1971, the census was taken every five years. Since 1971, the census has been taken every ten years. The 1813 census no longer exists. Most of the census information from the 1821-1851 censuses was destroyed in a fire in Dublin in 1922, and the censuses from 1861-1871 were destroyed by government order shortly after the data was complied and summarized, and the 1881 and 1891 censuses were pulped during World War I due to paper shortage. The surviving materials have been microfilmed by the LDS and through LDS Family History Centers worldwide.

As a result of the loss of so much of the Irish census material, census substitutes can sometimes be used as alternate sources of residence, age, and other information. These include Old Age Pension Records, Tithe Appointment Books (1823-1838), Griffith's Primary Valuation (1848-1864), and other later land and property records.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,