Hawai'i Census

This page contains the various online resource links pertaining to the census in Hawai'i.

Digitized Census Records:

1900 U.S. Federal Census for the Territory of Hawai'i. These records were digitized and placed online for researchers to view. The records are not the complete collection. They cover the counties of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Kaua'i and Maui only and can be accessed by Enumeration District.

FamilySearch Collection:

Search the full collection

Archive.org Collection:

Soundex: For a description of what a Soundex is, see the footer at the bottom of this page.

1910 U.S. Federal Census for the Territory of Hawai'i. These records were digitized and placed online for researchers to view. The records; while complete by volume, are not the complete collection.

Soundex: For a description of what a Soundex is, see the footer at the bottom of this page.

The following Soundex for the 1910 U.S. Federal Census of Hawai'i exist. We are actively searching for the digitized versions of these documents.

Hawai'i County: Enumeration Districts (EDs): 101-103, 106-113, 119-122, 125-134

Hawai'i, Kaua'i and Kalawao (Molokai) Counties: Enumeration Districts (EDs): 96-100, 104-105, 114-118, 123-124)

Honolulu County: Enumeration Districts (EDs): 36-49, 59-70, 135)

Maui County: Enumeration Districts (EDs): Unknown

1920 U.S. Federal Census for the Territory of Hawai'i. These records were digitized and placed online for researchers to view. The records; while complete by volume, are not the complete collection.

Abstractions of the 1920 U.S. Federal Census for the Territory of Hawai'i. These files were pulled from public records and record the individuals that were at the Leper settlement in Kalawao County, on the island of Moloka'i.

Soundex: For a description of what a Soundex is, see the footer at the bottom of this page.

The following Soundex for the 1920 U.S. Federal Census of Hawai'i exist. We are actively searching for the digitized versions of these documents.

A000 (N. R.) to A452 Valerio J. L260 Albert to M240 William

A453 (N. R.) to B621 Katherine M242 Adrians to M525 Zoilo

B622 Alexander to C500 Yung Gunn M530 (N. R.) to N210 Yetsuje

C512 Agnes to D243 Vistoriano N220 (N. R.) to O220 Yukiyo

D250 (N. R.) to F260 Zenji O222 Akichi to P400 Yohn

F266 Antoni P. to G635 William P410 Abraham to R362 Yeidro

G646 Andris to H525 Ya R365 Alejandro to S300 Ziroichi

H530 Albert E. to I556 Yoshosuhe S314 Annie to S614 Yso

I560 (N. R.) to K100 Zoyu S620 (N. R.) to T515 Torivia

K210 Abraham to K454 Willie K. T520 (N. R.) to V562 William

K460 Albert J. to K540 Winnefred V600 A. K. to Y210 Yoshiichi

K545 (N. R.) to L252 Ynocencio Y220 Aeshiko to Institutions

1930 U.S. Federal Census for the Territory of Hawai'i. These records were digitized and placed online for researchers to view. The records; while complete by volume, are not the complete collection.

Hawai'i State Archives Census Collection 1840-1896: Pre- and Post-Annexation census records. This link will take you to a complete list of the census data that is available through the Hawai'i State Archives.

The United States National Archives has microfilms for Hawai'i of the 1930 Agriculture Census Schedule.

Other Resources:

Location of Census Records: There are various locations for the physical census records via microfilm in Hawai'i. The 1878 and 1890 Kingdom of Hawai'i censuses can be found on microfilm at the Hawai'i State Archives and the Family History Library (films 1010681-88). The State of Hawai'i Archives has two census files for the Kingdom of Hawai'i for the years 1840 to 1866 and 1847 to 1866, which contain misc. records such as school censuses, population lists and vital record summaries. The Family History Library has the 1840 and 1860 file on microfilm (film 1009896 item 1-2).

For a more detailed list of what is contained within the Family History Library microfilm numbers 1010681-88, click here.

Report of the General Superintendant of the Census, 1890: A report from the General Superintendant of the Census in 1890, that was provided to the Kingdom of Hawai'i government and the King of Hawai'i which outlined the general datasets of the census.

Report of the General Superintendant of the Census, 1896: The Republic of Hawai`i (1894 to 1898) government, conducted a single census in the year 1896, mid-way during the Hawaiian island's status as a Republic. Similar to the Kingdom of Hawai`i government, the Republic of Hawai`i also had a General Superintendant of the Census, Mr. H. E. Cooper, Esq. who also produced a report that was provided to the Republic of Hawai`i government which outlined general datasets.

An Act to Organize the Executive Departments: In the year 1846, King Kamehameha III signed a bill entitled, An Act to Organize the Executive Departments. This law removed the responsibility of the census from the tax officers of each island and placed it in the realm of the Department of Public Instruction. This move was important, for the tax officers who had previously held this role, solely focused on the census as a way to understand the population count for taxation purposes, but not for demographic and statistical reasons, which would hold more data that would be of great use to all levels of the Kingdom of Hawai`i government.

For a detailed analysis of censuses throughout Hawaiian history, visit our Articles and the post titled: The History of the Census in Hawai'i Pre-Annexation.

For a more detailed explination of the Soundex, click here.

Soundex Description: The Soundex system began during Franklin Roosevelt's presidency when the administration formed the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA, which employed people to do many things for the government, also organized the Soundex system. These indexes, based on the sound of the surname, originally were prepared to assist the Census Bureau in finding records for persons who needed official proof of age from a period before all States had a uniform system of registering births.

The workers made a filing card for each household and listed every person in the census. Information on the cards include: name, age, location, birthday and relationship to the head of household. Not all of the original census information was recorded on the cards, but enough to identify the members of each household. All surnames were coded by giving a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet. The Soundex lists the census schedule county and page of all persons with the same surname or code.

Not all information on the original census is given, but enough to identify the members of each household. Every surname was given a code (see Soundex code). These codes give numerical value to each letter of the alphabet.

The workers began with the 1900 census and listed each household in the entire United States on a separate file card. This system enables us to look at one surname in a whole state and find the exact locality of all persons in the state with that surname.

Then we can go to the census records for that county, find the page listed in the Soundex and view all of the information collected by the census taker. No longer is it necessary to spend hours and hours looking at every entry, county by county to find the right entry.

Soundex CODING GUIDE

1 = B P F V
2 = C S K G J Q X Z
3 = D T
4 = L
5 = M N
6 = R
Disregard the letters A E I O U W Y H

Additional Rules:

If your name has a prefix like Van, Von, De, Di, Le or La - code it both with and without the prefix. It might be listed under either code. (Mc and Mac are not considered prefixes.)

If your surname has double letters, they should be treated as one letter. Example: Lloyd. The second L should be slashed out. In the name Herring, the second R should be slashed out.

Your surname may have different letters side-by-side which have the same coding number. Example: Hamner. (5 is the number for both M & N.) These letters should be treated as one letter and the N should be slashed out. Another example: Jackson. (2 is the number for C, K and S.) The K and S should be slashed. This rule applies when the letters are at the beginning of the surname, also. Example: Pfister. Both P and F are in the #1 category, therefore the letter F should be slashed out.

The census records of 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 have been soundexed and other records will be processed in the future. The 1880 soundex (or miracode) indexes only the households with children 10 years of age or younger. The 1900, 1910 soundexes index only 21 States, mainly in the South. The 1930 census has soundex cards for the following states in their entirety: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. In addition, there are Soundex indexes for the selected counties in Kentucky and West Virginia. Only the following Kentucky counties are indexed: Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Kenton, Muhlenberg, Perry, and Pike. Only the following West Virginia counties are indexed: Fayette, Harrison, Kanawha, Logan, McDowell, Mercer, and Raleigh. Why aren't all the states Soundexed? In the late 1930s, the Work Projects Administration (WPA) prepared the Soundex cards. When the WPA closed down in the early 1940s, no more Soundex indexes were created.

The Soundex is available on microfilm at the National Archives and its Regional Archives System, the LDS Family History Library, and larger public libraries throughout the county. Once you locate an ancestor in the soundex cards, you be able to make note of the enumeration district, city, county, state and page number where your ancestor is listed. Then you can order the microfilm of the original census record, to photocopy for your family history records.

Researchers who cannot find a name in Soundex or in a commercial index may want to consult enumeration district (ED) descriptions and maps before undertaking the time-consuming task of examining all the schedules for a county or locality.