Family Historian User Group

Browsing through an entry on the 1851 census for Sunderland just now, I noticed that the enumerator has entered one individual's name in brackets. I've just transcribed the 1851 for an entire village in Sussex and I've not seen this before, there or anywhere else - is there any significance in this?

I hope that someone can throw some light.... many thanks


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ID:2989

DO they do it once or several times? Might it be to indicate that the name has been derived (or guessed at?)

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No, Tony. It's the only occasion of brackets being used on census names that I can see and the name is there in black and white, clearly in parentheses.

In context, the individual is the head of the house and is a mariner. The rest of the family is listed in the normal way below his name. If he were at sea, from other instances I have of mariners who are away at the time, they would leave him out and perhaps place a note against his wife’s entry to that effect.

I was considering if this was an enumerator’s convention…… if so, what does it mean?

Has anyone else encountered this?


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I've never seen that, but I'm curious... can you give us a page reference?

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Here's the location, Chris:

1851 census,
Geo Wake, born 1816.
HO107; Piece: 2396; Folio: 100; Page: 93;

He's the first on the page and in parentheses.


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I think it's just a flourish in the handwriting, he's done similar elsewhere but not necessarily at the start and end of a name so you wouldn't assume they're parentheses.

..... yes you may be right..... the copy I have is poorer quality and it doesn't show up so wel.

So much for identifying a new enumerator's convention!..

Thanks Chris.