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When did the United States census begin recording the name of every free person?
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census
A U.S. Census Bureau enumerator conducting a personal interview.
The United States census began recording the name of every free person in the 1850 census.1
Prior to this, the census primarily recorded the names of free white males as heads of households, while other individuals were counted only as numbers within specific categories. It was not until the 1870 census that the names of all Black Americans were included.12