Daily AncestorBoarder
Boarder in a census means a person who paid for meals and lodging in the household, not a relative of the head.
A boarder paid to eat and usually sleep in someone else's home. The 1900 census instructions list boarder, lodger and servant among the answers for relationship to the head of the family. A lodger, a separate answer, rented a room but did not necessarily take meals with the family.
A boarder is not family by definition, but a boarder with a family surname or from the same hometown is still worth checking.
As seen in a recordRelationship to head column, 1900 or 1910 census
Patrick Ryan, Boarder, M, 24, Laborer, Ireland
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Boarder." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/relationships/boarder. Last checked 2026-10-01.