McNamara family name history and map
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McNamara in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 7,224 people named McNamara in Ireland, about 0.165% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 92nd most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 3,613 men and 3,607 women. (A small number, 4, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with McNamara in Ireland
Clare was McNamara country: 33.2% of them (2,398 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Limerick (1,299), Cork (683), Mayo (626) and Dublin (428).

McNamara average age in 1911
The average McNamara in 1911 was 30.6 years old, 30.4 for men and 30.8 for women; almost exactly in line with the national averages of 29.6 for men and 30.5 for women. That low figure reflects just how many children there were in Edwardian Ireland, along with high infant mortality and the limits of public health at the time. For comparison, average life expectancy in Ireland today is around 83.
McNamara literacy in 1911
Of the McNamaras whose literacy was recorded, 78.1% could both read and write, 4% could read but not write, and 17.9% could do neither. The figures were much the same for men and women. Bear in mind these figures include young children; the census itself only counted people aged nine and over when calculating illiteracy, on the grounds that it was unfair to label a child illiterate before they'd had a chance to learn.
McNamara common first names
The most common male names were John (629), Patrick, Michael, Thomas and James; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (609), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Catherine.
McNamara occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a McNamara's census form was "Scholar"; 20.7% (1,498) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (16.5%), general labourer (4.4%), farm labourer (3.8%) and domestic servant (2.7%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 20.8% of all McNamaras, followed by general labourers, domestic service and retail & commerce.
What religion is McNamara?
McNamaras were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 96.5% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (1.7%), Presbyterian (0.7%), Methodist (0.5%) and Congregationalist (0.2%).


Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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McNamara statistics (1911)
Number: 7,224
Rank: 92
Average Age: 31
McNamara in the USA (2020)
Number: 25,856
Rank: 1,334
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
Ref: mcnamara
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