Genealogy
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.
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DataFrequently Occurring First Names and Last Names in the 2020 CensusTabulations of first names and last names occurring 100 or more times in the 2020 Census returns. No specific individual information is provided.
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Frequently Occurring Names from the 1990 CensusTabulation of names from the 1990 Census. These files contain only the frequency of a surname, no specific individual information.
Related Sites
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National Archives: Resources for GenealogistsCopies of decennial census records are available for research at the National Archives, at select regional centers, and at select Federal depository libraries.
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PublicationFactfinder for the Nation: Availability of Census Records, IndividualsThis Factfinder explains what census materials are available and how to obtain them and also lists the sources for some other useful records about individuals.
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PublicationMeasuring America: The Decennial Censuses From 1790 to 2000Contains questionnaires and instructions, plus individual histories of each census.
Page Last Revised - April 9, 2026