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What is a Census?

The word Census comes from the Latin Censere, meaning 'to assess'. A Census is a count of something, usually people or property. Censuses have been carried out for thousands of years. The first Census to become really well known was the one ordered by the Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus who wanted to know who lived in his Empire so that "all the world be taxed" - this was the reason why Joseph had to return with Mary to his ancestral home of Bethlehem to be counted, why the town was so crowded and no room was available at the inn, and why Jesus was born there in a stable. A Census could be a count of how many cars, trucks and buses use a particular stretch of road. A Census can be of trees - in North East Scotland a Census carried out by the Forestry Commission showed that the woodland area totalled nearly 155,000 hectares, an increase of 24,000 hectares since 1980, and that Scots pine is the most common species. Or it could be a count of how many children use the school playground and what games they play.

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