Unknown family name history and map

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Unknown

Unknown in 1911 Ireland

The 1911 Census recorded 4,249 people named Unknown in Ireland, about 0.097% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 200th most common surname overall. There were noticeably more men than women recorded: 2,292 men to 1,736 women. (A small number, 221, had no sex recorded.)

Counties with Unknown in Ireland

Dublin had the largest share of Unknowns, 22.9% (974 people). Next came Cork (607), Limerick (319), Antrim (292) and Clare (206).
Surname distribution map, 1911 census

Unknown average age in 1911

The average Unknown in 1911 was 37.2 years old, 36.3 for men and 39.0 for women; noticeably older than 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.

Unknown literacy in 1911

Of the Unknowns whose literacy was recorded, 77.7% could both read and write, 4.2% could read but not write, and 18% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 82.3% reading and writing against 69.4% 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.

Unknown common first names

The most common male names were J (469), P, M, T and ?. For women it was M (435), followed by E, A, ? and B.

Unknown occupations in 1911

The most common occupation among Unknowns was general labourer, 12.7% of them (539 people). Next came farmer (12.5%), domestic servant (10.7%), scholar / student (8.7%) and shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (3.6%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 16.1% of all Unknowns, followed by domestic service, general labourers and textiles & clothing.

What religion is Unknown?

Unknowns were predominantly Roman Catholic (79.7%). The remainder were mostly Anglican (7.8%), Presbyterian (2.4%), Methodist (0.4%) and Baptist (0.1%).
Map showing where Roman Catholic families of this surname lived in Ireland, 1911 census
Map showing where Anglican families of this surname lived in Ireland, 1911 census
Map showing where Presbyterian families of this surname lived in Ireland, 1911 census

Visitor Notes

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Unknown statistics (1911)

Number: 4,249
Rank: 200
Average Age: 37

Unknown in the USA (2020)

Number: 0
Rank: 0

Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero. 

Ref: unknown

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