Good news if you have Irish ancestry: You can search the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses for free online. The records cover present-day Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and have searchable every-name indexes. Even if your ancestors emigrated before 1901, you still might find useful clues in these census records.
Ireland took censuses every 10 years from 1821 to 1911. But before 1901, the census situation is bleak: Few records survive. Fortunately, we still have the 1901 and 1911 censuses, the only full censuses of Ireland open to the public as of this article’s writing.
Follow these easy steps to find your family in the 1901 and 1911 Irish censuses.
1. Go to the National Archives Website
From the main home page, click Search the Collections > Census Records or visit the census search portal directly.
You can search the 1901 census by itself, the 1911 census by itself, or both censuses at the same time. (The archives has a separate landing page for surviving pre-1901 census records.)
2. Search with Just a Surname
Run a simple search of the last name of interest to get a feel for where in Ireland the name occurred most.
A search for the surname McMorris in the 1901 census produces 76 matches, mostly in the northern counties Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone. All the McMorrises in County Tyrone lived in the DED (District Electoral Division) of Mountcastle. The DED was the jurisdiction used in census-taking; a DED was smaller than a county, but bigger than a townland or city street.
Click a result to reveal the resident’s birthplace, occupation and religion. You can filter (at left) or sort (above) search results by several factors, including townland, DED, and name. Sort by age, and you see that the oldest McMorrises in the 1901 census were born in County Fermanagh.
3. Search by Full Name
Once you’re a bit more comfortable with the search form, narrow your search to include first and maybe middle names. Try nicknames and abbreviations, too: Annie for Ann, Pat for Patrick, Chas for Charles, Geo for George, Jno for John, Michl for Michael and Thos for Thomas.
If you’re striking out, search by initials plus other criteria, such as age and place of residence. People in prisons, asylums and other institutions were often listed by their initials.
4. Add a County, City Street or Townland
Other sources might give you a county or specific place of residence—helpful for narrowing your search, especially if your ancestor had a common name.
My Grant ancestors lived on Aungier Street in Dublin. A search of the 1901 census for the surname Grant, with Dublin as the county and Aungier as the townland or street produces two matches.
Note that a search on just Park as the street in Dublin matches many place names that include the word Park, such as Fairfield Park.
5. Click More Search Options
The drop-down gives access to even more criteria: religion, occupation and county or country of origin.
When you search the 1901 census for the name Murphy, you get nearly 57,000 matches. Selecting Dublin as the county narrows it to 6,000. Adding weaver as the occupation zeroes in on a handful of relevant matches.
If your relatives went to America and had children there before returning to Ireland, select America for the country of origin, then choose United States and try again.
6. Try Browsing
If searching doesn’t turn up the right person—and you know the street or townland where he lived—try browsing records.
From the main search page, scroll down to Search by Location. You’ll be prompted to select a census year, then county, then DED and townload.
My relative Bernard Clark came from Bellinanagh in County Cavan. Selecting the 1901 census with Cavan as the county, Bellananagh as the DED, and Ballinagh Village produces about 320 matches, listed by house and surname. The Clarkes are No. 34.
7. View the Whole Household
By default, the site shows you a person’s single record (that is, the entry just for him or her). But you can also easily view the whole household by clicking the appropriate tab.
Click the image thumbnail to download a scan of the original page. Page 1 has the household’s information; page 2 (not pictured) has instructions. Each head of household filled out its details by hand, then signed it.
You can also download the record as a CSV. Additional options allow you to print the screen from your browser or share a link to the record.
Versions of this article appeared in the May/June 2014 and March/April 2026 issues of Family Tree Magazine.
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Author
A contributing editor for Family Tree Magazine, Rick Crume specializes in online research, genealogy software, DNA testing and British genealogy.
