350th anniversary North America’s first census

This year marks the 350th anniversary of North America’s first official census, and it was taken in Canada, specifically in Quebec.

Statue of Jean Talon in front of the National Assembly, Quebec City, Quebec.

Intendant Jean Talon conducted the census largely by himself from 1665 to 1666, travelling door to door among the settlements of New France. According to his biography in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Talon visited each of the settlers, “entering their homes and discussing with them their needs and aspirations.”

The 1666 census is only 163 pages long and notes the names, ages, and occupations of the French inhabitants of Quebec City, Montreal, and Trois-Rivières.

According to Talon’s census, there were 3,215 people in New France and a third of them were unmarried. There were 2,034 men and 1,181 women. The census shows 547 people living in Quebec City, 455 in Trois-Rivières, and 625 in Montreal.

Talon did not include Native American inhabitants of the colony in the census or the religious orders, such as the Jesuits or Recollets.

The original copy of Canada’s first census is held at the Centre des archives d’outre-mer in Aix-en-Provence, France. A digital copy is available on the Library and Archives Canada website.