Most of the 1890 U.S. Federal Census was destroyed in a fire in the 1930's. This leaves a large, annoying 20-year gap in census records for genealogists.
Category - Census Research
Finding Unnamed Ancestors on the 1790-1840 Censuses
The 1790-1840 census records only listed heads of household by name. However, that does not mean you can't put together a list of who was in the household. You just look at other clues like these.
Genealogy Data: Frequently Occurring Surnames from Census 2000
The U.S. Census Bureau publishes a list of frequently occurring surnames from Census 2000. (Note: this data is from the 2000 census.) You can look through the list below of surnames that may show how...