Use the Soundex coding system for ancestry and genealogy census research.
I have found the Soundex to be very helpful in searching for names that sound alike, such as Steward and Stuart but are spelled differently. It uses a numbering system for letters, which allows the name to be indexed by how it sounds and not how it is spelled.
I have used Soundex for 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 United States Federal censuses. Soundex codes were used as follows in these Federal Census years:
- 1880 census. All states but only for the households with children age ten and under.
- 1890 census. No records exist with the Soundex code because most of the census was lost by fire.
- 1900 census. All states are included.
- 1910 census. Used the Mira code, twenty-one states were included: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
- 1920 census. All states are included.
- 1930 census. Ten states were included: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. It was also partially done for the states of Kentucky and West Virginia.
The Soundex code is defined by a number and three numbers, such as R-251 for Rosenbaum. The following is an example of how it works.
Step 1 – Write the surname to be coded. On line 1, write the surname to be coded. For example:
Step 2 – Write the first letter. On line 2, write the first letter of the surname. For example:
Step 3 – Slash through or highlight letters not be coded. On line 1, disregarding the first letter, slash through or highlight the remaining letters: A, E, I, O, U, W, Y, H
Step 4 – Write numbers found in the Soundex coding guide. On line 2, write the numbers found on the Soundex coding guide for the first three remaining letters. Add zeros to any empty boxes. Disregard any additional letters
Key letters and equivalents
- 1 – b, p, f, v
- 2 – c, s, k, g, j, q, x, z
- 3 – d, t
- 4 – l
- 5 – m, n
- 6 – r
- Note: The letters A, E, I, O, U, Y, W, and H are not coded. The first letter of the surname is not coded.
Special Rules and Instructions for Soundex Coding
When the last name does not have three consonants, if there are not three consonants following the initial letter, you should insert 0 to complete the three numbers. For example, Lee would be coded as L-000
Names with Prefixes. If the surname has a prefix, such as a van, Von, De, Di, or Le, you can code it both with and without the prefix because it might be listed under either code. The surname vanDevanter, for example, could be V-531 or D-153.
- Mc and Mac are not considered prefixes.
Names with Double Letters
If the surname has any double letters, treat them as one letter. Thus, in the surname Merry, the second R should be crossed out.
Names with Side-by-Side Letters
When a surname different letters that are side by side and have the same number on the Soundex coding guide; for example, PF in Pfister (1 is the number for both P and F); CKS in Jackson (2 is the number for C, K, and S). These letters should be treated as one letter. Thus in the name Pfister, F should be crossed out; in the name Jackson, K and S should be crossed out.
Native American and Asian Names
Sometimes a phonetically spelled Native American or Asian name is coded as if it were one continuous name. If a distinguishable surname was given, the name might have been coded in the usual manner. For example, Dances with Wolves might have been coded as Dances (D-522) or as Wolves (W-412), or the name Shinka-Wa-Sa may have been coded as Shinka (S-520) or Sa (S-000). If Soundex cards do not yield expected results, researchers should consider other surname spellings or variations on coding names.
Female religious figures
Nuns or other female religious figures with names such as Sister Veronica may have been members of households or heads of households or institutions where a child or children age 10 or under resided. Because many of these religious figures do not use a surname, the Soundex’s frequently use the code S-236, for Sister, whether or not a surname exists.
Examples of Soundex Coding
The following are examples of how the Soundex coding rules would be applied to various surnames
- Allricht A462
- Eberhard E166
- Hanselmann H524
- Heimbach H512
- Kavanagh K152
- Lind L530
- Lukaschowsky L222
- McDonnell M235
- McGee M200
- O’Brien O165
- Oppenheimer O155
- Riedemanas R355
- Schafer S160
- Shaeffer S160
- Zita Z300
- Zitzmeinn Z32
Information Found on Soundex Cards
The Soundex card will only provide a summary of the information that is found in the actual census. The file cards included the following information:
- Name
- Race
- Month and year of birth
- Age
- Citizenship status
- Place of residence by state and county
- Civil division
- Where appropriate for urban dwellers
o City name
o House number
o Street name
o Volume number, enumeration district number, and page and line numbers of the original schedules from which the information was taken.
Three types of cards were prepared:
- Household cards
- Individual cards
- Cards for institutions, military posts, naval stations, and U.S. flag vessels
Household cards
Household cards show the name of the head of the household with the following information about the individual
- Race
- Month and year of birth
- Age
- Birthplace
- Citizenship status if foreign-born
- Street address may be included.
The card will then list each member of the household by name and then show the
- Relationship to the head of the household
- Month and year of birth
- Age
- Birthplace
- Citizenship status if foreign-born
Individual cards
If individuals living in the home were not part of the immediate family, an individual card was prepared for that person. Individual cards were prepared for persons
- Living alone
- Persons living with families who were not immediate members of the family
- Members of an immediate family but who had different surnames
- Persons in hotels
- Boarding and rooming houses
- Institutions
For persons on military posts and naval ships and at naval stations; and persons enumerated on U.S. flag vessels in all U.S. ports on the first day of the census. These cards give the
- Individual’s name
- Month and year of birth
- Age
- Birthplace
- Citizenship status
- Address
- Name of person or institution with whom enumerated
- Any relationship to that person or institution
Cards for institutions, military posts, naval stations, and U.S. flag vessels
Institution, military post, naval station, and U.S. flag vessel cards show only the
- Address of the establishment
- Number of persons enumerated
- Note: Names of the individual persons are not listed
Card arrangement. You will find the cards arranged by state or territory. The following are samples of Soundex cards:
Abbreviations and Terms on Soundex cards
Following is a guide to the abbreviations and terms used in Soundex cards:
- A – Aunt
- Ad – Adopted
- AdCl – Adopted child
- AdD – Adopted daughter
- AdGcl – Adopted grandchild
- AdM – Adopted mother
- AdS – Adopted son
- Al – Aunt-in-law
- Ap – Apprentice
- Asst – Assistant
- At – Attendant
- B – Brother
- Bar – Bartender
- BBoy – Bound boy
- BGirl – Bound girl
- Bl – Brother-in-law
- Bo – Boarder
- Boy – Boy
- Bu – Butler
- C – Cousin
- Cap – Captain
- Cha – Chamber Maid
- Cil – Cousin-in-law
- Cl – Child
- Coa – Coachman
- Com – Companion
- Cook – Cook
- D – Daughter
- Dl – Daughter-in-law
- Dla – Day laborer
- Dom – Domestic
- Dw – Dishwasher
- Emp – Employee
- En – Engineer
- F – Father
- FaH – Farmhand
- FaL – Farm laborer
- FaW – Farmworker
- FB – Foster brother
- FF – Foster father
- Fi – Fireman
- First C – First cousin
- FL – Father-in-law
- FM – Foster mother
- FoB – Foster brother
- FoS – Foster son
- FoSi – Foster sister
- GA – Great aunt
- Gcl – Grandchild
- GD – Granddaughter
- GF – Grandfather
- GGF – Great-grandfather
- GGGF – Great-great-grandfather
- GGGM – Great-great-grandmother
- GGM – Great-grandmother
- GM – Grandmother
- Gml – Grandmother-in-law
- GN – Grand or great-nephew
- GNi – Grand or great-niece
- Go – Governess
- God Cl – Godchild
- GS – Grandson
- Gsl – Grand son-in-law
- GU – Great uncle
- Gua – Guardian
- Guest – Guest
- Hb – Half brother
- Hbl – Half brother-in-law
- He – Herder
- Help – Help
- H.Gi – Hired girl
- Hh – Hired hand
- Hk – Housekeeper
- Hlg – Hireling
- Hm – Hired man
- HMaid – Housemaid
- HSi – Half-sister
- HSil – Half sister-in-law
- Husband – Husband
- Hw – Houseworker
- I – Inmate
- L – Lodger
- La – Laborer
- Lau – Launderer
- M – Mother
- Maid – Maid
- Man – Manager
- Mat – Matron
- ML – Mother-in-law
- N – Nephew
- Ni – Niece
- Nil – Niece-in-law
- Nl – Nephew-in-law
- Nu – Nurse
- O – Officer
- P – Patient
- Pa – Partner
- Ph – Physician
- Por – Porter
- Pr – Prisoner
- Pri – Principal
- Prv – Private
- Pu – Pupil
- R – Roomer
- S – Son
- Sa – Sailor
- Sal – Saleslady
- Sb – Stepbrother
- Sbl – Step brother-in-law
- Scl – Stepchild
- Sd – Stepdaughter
- Sdl – Step daughter-in-law
- Se – Servant
- Se.Cl – Servant’s child
- Sf – Stepfather
- Sfl – Step father-in-law
- Sgd – Step granddaughter
- Sgs – Step grandson
- Si – Sister
- Sl – Son-in-law
- Sm – Stepmother
- Sml – Step mother-in-law
- Ss – Stepson
- Ssi – Stepsister
- Ssil – Step sister-in-law
- Ssl – Step son-in-law
- Su – Superintendent
- Ten – Tenant
- U – Uncle
- Ul – Uncle-in-law
- Vi – Visitor
- W – Wife
- Wa – Warden
- Wai – Waitress
- Ward – Ward
- Wkm – Workman
- Wt – Waiter
Note: This article was adapted from the National Archives’ articles related to the Soundex coding system.
