Latvia Census and Resident Registers, 1854-1897

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Latvia Census and Resident Registers, 1854-1897 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022.
Original data: Latvia Census and Resident Registers, 1854-1897. Riga, Latvia: Latvijas Arhivi, 2020.

About Latvia Census and Resident Registers, 1854-1897

About the Latvia Census and Resident Registers, 1854-1897

General collection information

This collection contains census records from Latvia between the years of 1854 and 1897. Records may be written in German, Russian, Latvian, or Polish. All records are handwritten on pre-printed forms. Russian records may be written using either the Cyrilic or Latin alphabet.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Person's name, including maiden name if married
  • Birthdate
  • Birth place
  • Age
  • Marital status
  • Relationship to head of house
  • Year of census
  • Residence

    • Not all of the above information may be available, depending on which year and region you're researching.

    If you don't speak any of the languages found in this collection, knowing a few common words can aid in your search:

    German:

  • Familien u. Borname is German for "family and birth name."
  • Geb. am is German for "born on."
  • Alter is German for "age."
  • Wohnt is German for "resides."
  • Tochter von is German for "daughter of."
  • Sohn von is German for "son of."
  • Mutter is German for "mother."
  • Vater is German for "father."
  • Ehemann is German for "husband."
  • Ehefrau is German for "wife."
  • Junge is German for "boy."
  • Mädchen is German for "girl."

    • Russian:

  • Имя и фамилия (Imya i familiya) is Russian for "Name and surname."
  • Проживает (prozhivayet) is Russian for "resides."
  • Лѣта is Russian for "age."
  • Мужской (Muzhskoy) is Russian for "male."
  • женский (Zhenskiy) is Russian for "female."
  • Сын (Syn) is Russian for "son."
  • Дочь (Doch') is Russian for "daughter."
  • Муж (Muzh) is Russian for "husband."
  • Жена (Zhena) is Russian for "wife."
  • Мальчик (Mal'chik) is Russian for "boy."
  • Девочка (Devochka) is Russian for "girl."
  • Отец (Otets) is Russian for "father."
  • Мать (Mat') is Russian for "mother."

    • Latvian:

  • Vārds un uzvārds is Latvian for "name and family name."
  • Šeit or dzīvo is Latvian for "residence."
  • Vecums is Latvian for "age."
  • Vīrietis is Latvian for "man."
  • Sieviete is Latvian for "woman."
  • Dēls is Latvian for "son."
  • Meita is Latvian for "daughter."
  • Tēvs is Latvian for "father."
  • Māte is Latvian for "mother."
  • Vīrs is Latvian for "husband."
  • Sieva is Latvian for "wife."
  • Zēns is Latvian for "boy."
  • Meitene is Latvian for "girl."

    • Polish:

  • Imię i nazwisko is Polish for "name and family name."
  • Rezydencja is Polish for "residence."
  • Wiek is Polish for "age."
  • Człowiek is Polish for "man."
  • Kobieta is Polish for "woman."
  • Męski is Polish for "male."
  • Płeć żeńska is Polish for "female."
  • Chłopiec is Polish for "boy."
  • Dziewczyna is Polish for "girl."
  • Syn is Polish for "son."
  • Córka is Polish for "daughter."
  • Ojciec is Polish for "father."
  • Mama is Polish for "mother."

    • Names can help provide clues about your family member's gender. Last names for males usually end in 's' while last names for females often end in 'a.' For example, male members of a family will have the surname "Bērziņš" while female members of the same family will be named "Bērziņa."

    Collection in context

    During the time period of this collection, Latvia was part of the historic region of Livonia. Livonia was a long disputed territory and was occupied by the German State of the Teutonic Order, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and Sweden. By 1795, Latvia was ruled by the Russian Empire. Parts of Latvia were included in the The Russian Imperial Census of 1897 (Первая всеобщая перепись населения Российской империи) the only census conducted by the Russian Empire. This census was unique in that it was conducted for statistical purposes, rather for taxation.

    In the aftermath of World War I, the Republic of Latvia declared their independence on November 18, 1918.

    Bibliography

    Ancestry.com. "Russia, Jewish Families in the Russian Empire Census, 1897." Last modified 2008. https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1448/.

    Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. "History of Latvia." Last modified 2010. https://eca.state.gov/files/bureau/history-of-latvia.pdf.

    Žemaitis, Augustinas. "History of Latvia: Introduction." Onlatvia.com. Accessed on January 20, 2022. https://www.onlatvia.com/topics/history-and-today/history-of-latvia.