Census records can give valuable information about your ancestors and their surnames for people doing genealogy research. The first U.S. Census was in 1790 and there has been one every ten years since then. Census records can provide the names of family members, years of birth, location of birth, profession, and much, much more.
In order to provide some protection for the living, the US Census releases census data only after seventy years has passed since the actual enumeration of the population. This spring, April 2nd, actually, the US Census will release data from the 1940 Census. Older versions of the Census have already been released over the years, and can be found online in many places. Newer censuses, such as from 1950, 1960 or right through the most recent census in 2010, will have to wait until the seventy year protective limit passes before those data sets become available.
In the mean time, information and questions about the 1940 Census and its release can be found at the National Archives website.
For a comprehensive look at ALL US Census questionnaires you might want to visit the US Census Index of Questions page.
