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McDowell family name history and map

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Ireland
McDowell

McDowell in 1911 Ireland

The 1911 Census recorded 3,935 people named McDowell in Ireland, about 0.09% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 229th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 1,869 men and 2,062 women. (A small number, 4, had no sex recorded.)

Counties with McDowell in Ireland

Antrim was McDowell country: 45.9% of them (1,806 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Down (1,161), Armagh (233), Dublin (145) and Derry (116).
Surname distribution map, 1911 census

McDowell average age in 1911

The average McDowell in 1911 was 28.4 years old, 27.8 for men and 29.0 for women; a touch younger 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.

McDowell literacy in 1911

Of the McDowells whose literacy was recorded, 80% could both read and write, 4.7% could read but not write, and 15.3% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 81.2% reading and writing against 78.9% 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.

McDowell common first names

The most common male names were James (210), John, William, Robert and Thomas. For women it was Mary (166), followed by Elizabeth, Jane, Margaret and Sarah.

McDowell occupations in 1911

The most common entry on a McDowell's census form was "Scholar"; 20.8% (818) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (8.4%), textile worker (7.7%), general labourer (4.6%) and shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (2.6%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 11.6% of all McDowells, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and retail & commerce.

What religion is McDowell?

Most McDowells, 51.2%, were Presbyterian. The remainder were mostly Anglican (24.9%), Roman Catholic (11.7%), Methodist (6.3%) and Unitarian (1.3%).
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
Map showing where Methodist families of this surname lived in Ireland, 1911 census

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Pete F
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McDowell statistics (1911)

Number: 3,935
Rank: 229
Average Age: 28

McDowell in the USA (2020)

Number: 47,414
Rank: 704

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

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Also see...

Doyle
20368 people in 1911
Coyle
4438 people in 1911
Cole
1197 people in 1911
McDougald
10 people in 1911

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