By law, personally identifiable information collected for a decennial census is released to the public after 72 years. The National Archives released the 1940 census on April 2, 2012. Learn more about your family history from census records.
Although censuses are a source of genealogical information, the Census Bureau does not provide these data. The Census Bureau is not able to locate missing persons, or provide recent information on individuals.
By law, personally identifiable information collected for a decennial census is released to the public after 72 years. The National Archives released the 1940 census on April 2, 2012. Learn more about your family history from census records.
Data
Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 2010 Census
Tabulations of all surnames occurring 100 or more times in the 2010 Census returns. No specific individual information is provided.
Frequently Occurring Surnames from the Census 2000
Tabulations of all surnames occurring 100 or more times in the Census 2000 returns. No specific individual information is provided.
Frequently Occurring Surnames from the 1990 Census
Tabulation of names from the 1990 Census. These files contain only the frequency of a surname, no specific individual information.
Related Sites
National Archives: Resources for Genealogists
Copies of decennial census records are available for research at the National Archives, at select regional centers, and at select Federal depository libraries.
JUNE 2008
Factfinder for the Nation: Availability of Census Records About Individuals
This Factfinder issued June 2008 explains what census materials are available and how to obtain them. Other sources not found in census records are also listed.
SEPTEMBER 2002
Measuring America: The Decennial Censuses from 1790 to 2000
This 2002 publication includes replicas of uniform printed census forms for 1840 through 2000, plus the instructions and a brief history of each census.