Shea family name history and map
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Shea in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 6,942 people named Shea in Ireland, about 0.158% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 100th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 3,526 men and 3,402 women. (A small number, 14, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Shea in Ireland
The Sheas were heavily concentrated in Kerry, home to 53% of them (3,679 people). Next came Cork (1,497), Kilkenny (424), Tipperary (266) and Waterford (160).
Shea average age in 1911
The average Shea in 1911 was 30.2 years old, 30.0 for men and 30.4 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.
Shea literacy in 1911
Of the Sheas whose literacy was recorded, 70.4% could both read and write, 3.1% could read but not write, and 26.3% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 72.8% reading and writing against 68% of 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.
Shea common first names
The most common male names were John (626), Patrick, Michael, James and Daniel. For women it was Mary (763), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Julia.
Shea occupations in 1911
The most common occupation among Sheas was farmer, 21.2% of them (1,474 people). Next came scholar / student (21.2%), farm labourer (5.1%), general labourer (3.4%) and domestic servant (3%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 26.5% of all Sheas, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retired & pensioners.
What religion is Shea?
Sheas were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 97.7% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (1%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Shea statistics (1911)
Number: 6,942
Rank: 100
Average Age: 30
Shea in the USA (2020)
Number: 31,836
Rank: 1,081
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.