The National Records of Scotland hold records of the census of the population of Scotland for 1841 and every tenth year thereafter (with the exception of the wartime year of 1941 when no census was taken) and of the sample census of 1966.  Census records are closed for 100 years under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

There has been a census every ten years since 1801 (excluding 1941) but only those returns after 1841 (with a few earlier exceptions) carry details of named residents. Census returns for 1841-1911 can be consulted at the National Records of Scotland in Edinburgh and online at ScotlandsPeople (see also the GRO tutorial). Copies of the LDS indexes to the 1881 census returns are also held.

Copies of the census returns for 1841-1891 may be consulted in LDS Family History Centres around the world. LDS centres also carry indexes to the 1881 census returns.

Commercial services such as Ancestry and Findmypast now have transcriptions/indexes (but no images) of the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 and 1891 Scottish census returns. Access to these paid-for services is often available free of charge from public libraries and other selected locations, whilst free trials and short-term special deals are occasionally on offer.

FreeCen Scotland is a project indexing 19th Century census records and putting them online with free access, starting mainly with 1841 and some 1851 records. It is part of UK Census Online. Indexes for the UK or any individual place or county can be searched from the FreeCen Search page.

SCROL - Scottish Census Results On Line gives access to statistical information from the 2001 census.

Some books on census and census records include:

• Census Records for Scottish families at Home and Abroad (3rd edition), by Gordon Johnson, published by Aberdeen & N.E.Scotland FHS, ISBN 0 947659 74 9, vi, 100pp. The book, which can be purchased from the society directly, includes an outline of census records in many other countries and a directory of census holdings in Scottish libraries and archives, updated to include changes resulting from the 1996 local government reorganisation.
• Scottish Census Indexes, 1841-1871, by Peter Ruthven-Murray, an information leaflet published by and available from the Scottish Association of Family History Societies.

At the time of the 1861 Census of Scotland, a number of parishes lay in more than one county. The counties in which each lay are listed in Column 2. For the purposes of the Census of 1861 each parish was considered to be wholly a part of the rightmost listed registration county below (e.g. Alyth was part of the registration county of Perth).

Some counties have since changed names, e.g. Elgin to Moray, see Note below.

Most counties are now referred to with a -shire suffix, e.g. Lanark is now Lanarkshire, Inverness is now Inverness-shire.

Parish                           CountiesAbernethy                        Inverness / Elgin*                      Abernethy                        Fife / Perth                      Alyth                            Forfar* / Perth                      Ardnamurchan                     Inverness / Argyll                     Arngask                          Perth / Fife                       Arngask                          Kinross / Fife                       Ashkirk                          Selkirk / Roxburgh                   Banchory-Devenick                Aberdeen / Kincardine                 Beith                            Renfrew / Ayr                        Bellie                           Banff / Elgin*                      Boharm                           Banff / Elgin*                      Cabrach                          Banff / Aberdeen                   Cairney                          Banff / Aberdeen                   Cathcart                         Lanark / Renfrew                    Cawdor                           Inverness / Nairn                      Coupar-Angus                     Perth / Forfar*                     Cramond                          Linlithgow* / Edinburgh*                  Cromdale                         Elgin* / Inverness                  Croy                             Nairn / Inverness                  Culter                           Peebles / Lanark                     Daviot and Dunlichty             Nairn / Inverness                  Drumoak                          Kincardine / Aberdeen                   Dunlop                           Renfrew / Ayr                        Duthill                          Inverness / Elgin*                      Dyke and Moy                     Nairn / Elgin*                      East Kilpatrick (New Kilpatrick) Stirling / Dumbarton                  Edzell                           Kincardine / Forfar*                     Fala and Soutra                  Haddington* / Edinburgh*                  Forgandenny                      Kinross / Perth                      Fossaway and Tulliebole          Perth / Kinross                    Galashiels                       Roxburgh / Selkirk                    Gartly                           Banff / Aberdeen                   Glass                            Banff / Aberdeen                   Gorbals                          Renfrew / Lanark                     Govan                            Renfrew / Lanark                     Innerleithen                     Selkirk / Peebles                    Inveravon                        Elgin* / Banff                      Keith                            Elgin* / Banff                      Kettins                          Perth / Forfar*                     Kilmalie                         Inverness / Argyll                     Kippen                           Perth / Stirling                   Kirkliston                       Edinburgh* / Linlithgow*                 Lecropt                          Stirling / Perth                      Liff, Benvie and Invergowrie     Perth / Forfar*                     Logie                            Clackmannan / Perth                      Logie                            Stirling / Perth                      Moffat                           Lanark / Dumfries                   Moy and Dalarossie               Nairn / Inverness                  New Kilpatrick (East Kilpatrick) Stirling / Dumbarton                  New Machar                       Banff / Aberdeen                   Old Deer                         Banff / Aberdeen                   Oldhamstocks                     Berwick / Haddington*                 Petty                            Nairn / Inverness                  Reay                             Sutherland / Caithness                  Roberton                         Roxburgh / Selkirk                    Rothes                           Banff / Elgin*                      Selkirk                          Roxburgh / Selkirk                    Small Isles                      Argyll / Inverness                  Stirling                         Clackmannan / Stirling                   Stow                             Selkirk / Edinburgh*                  Urquhart and Logie-Wester        Nairn / Ross and Cromarty          Urray                            Inverness / Ross and Cromarty 

* Note:

• Edinburgh is now Midlothian
• Elgin is now Moray
• Forfar is now Angus
• Haddington is now East Lothian
• Linlithgow is now West Lothian

UK and Ireland: Census

In general information about the availability of census records is to be found in GENUKI at the level of the separate countries making up the UK and Ireland - i.e. for England and Wales, for Scotland, and for Ireland. Here we just provide more general information related to the census.

Lumas, Susan. Making Use of the Census, The National Archives (2002) 128 pp. [ISBN 190336535x]
["This is a revised edition of this bestselling guide to census records at The National Archives. Census records are some of the most valuable and frequently used by family historians and the release of a new census every ten years is an eagerly anticipated event. Published to coincide with the opening of 1901 Census in January 2002, this new edition incorporates all the essential details for researchers wishing to exploit this new and important resource. It also offers practical advice to historians to find their way into the nineteenth century returns. It provides help in tracking down individuals as part of a family tree, and is equally helpful to social or economic historians. . ."]

• A helpful tutorial on using census information, including advice regarding possible sources of errors, is provided on the British Genealogy website.
• The 1901 Census of England and Wales is available online at FindMyPast, with a free index search facility. To accompany this resource, the Public Record Office have produced a fascinating set of pages entitled 1901: Living at the Time of the Census (archived copy).
• Barry Ruck's Mini FAQ (archived copy) deals primarily with matters involving the census (last updated 2005).
• 1901 Census - Royal Navy Ships (archived copy) - Jeffery Knaggs has compiled an index to Royal Navy ships that were at sea or in ports abroad on 31st March 1901.
• 1901 Census - Institutions (archived copy) - Jeffery Knaggs is compiling an index to Institutions on the 1901 Census of England and Wales.
• British Census Indexes, Transcripts, and Images Available Online or on CD - a useful summary from Daniel Morgan.
• Statistics from the 2001 census provided by 'National Statistics' (formerly the Office of National Statistics).
• A Vision of Britain Through Time. Information from the 1801 to 2001 censuses arranged by local-authority area.
• The Online Historical Population Reports project at AHDS History have a project to provide searchable online access all the census reports for Great Britain (1801-1931) and reports of the registrars-general (1836-1920) for England, Wales and Scotland. The current version is a demo version, but release version will be launched on 9th January 2007. Note that this site contains only statistical reports, and does not include information about individuals.
• The British Surname Atlas CD allows exploration of the distribution of forenames and surnames in the 1881 census returns.
• Census substitutes: For the years for which census returns are not available, consider Voting Registers, Directories, Manorial Records.