Netherlands, Population Registers Index, 1720-1944

About the Netherlands, Population Registers Index, 1720-1944

General collection information

This collection consists of an index to population registers (censuses) from the Netherlands between 1720 and 1944. All records are in Dutch.

All data in this third-party database was obtained from WieWasWie. Ancestry does not support or make corrections or changes to the original data. To learn more about these records, please refer to WieWasWie's website. Each record in the index includes a link to the original online source.

Using this collection

The level of details may vary, but typically the following information is available for each person:

The collection is searchable by any of the recorded details. Women are always listed by their maiden names.

Like the census, population registers list all household members who may not necessarily have been family members. In this way, population registers can offer a more in-depth picture of your ancestor's life. For example, if your ancestor was employed as a servant, they may be found living with employers.

If you can't find a record, try searching the Netherlands, Birth Index, 1784-1921 for additional information.

Collection in context

Although parts of the Netherlands were already collecting population data for several years, the first national census was conducted in 1795 as a result of the French occupation.

In 1850, the Dutch government opted to start collecting population registers. Population registers are similar to censuses, except that data is tracked continuously, rather than every 10 years.

In 1920, the method for population registers changed yet again. Rather than register household members, population registers instead tracked family data. The modern method for Dutch population registration came about in 1938 with the introduction of personal index cards.

Bibliography

Hoitink, Yvette. "Population Registers." Dutch Genealogy. Last Modified June 13, 2005. https://www.dutchgenealogy.nl/population-registers/.

Laws, Gaby. "Research in the Netherlands." GenAmi. Last Modified August 2020. http://www.genami.org/en/countries-of-your-roots/research-guides/The-Netherlands.php.

Updates:
31 Jul 2019: Added 10,149,447 new records. 31 Aug 2020: Added 2,262,538 new records. 31 December 2022. Added 2,983,924