From around 1790 to the 1970s trade directories were published which were similar to modern day phonebooks. Many of them listed people by both trade and surname and those from the 1860s onwards tended to give the addresses of private residents and householders not featured in the commercial section. They may be useful in tracing the address of a family when only the name of the head of the household is known. This can then enable other material such as censuses and electoral registers to be used.

Sheffield trade directory data has been made available online from a number of trade directories covering a span of years ranging from 1787 to 1911. Further directories may be made available at a later date.