Kirwan family name history and map
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Kirwan in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 2,004 people named Kirwan in Ireland, about 0.046% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 436th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 1,007 men and 991 women. (A small number, 6, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Kirwan in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Kirwans, 24.1% (482 people). Next came Waterford (282), Wexford (243), Tipperary (129) and Carlow (107).
Kirwan average age in 1911
The average Kirwan in 1911 was 28.9 years old, 28.9 for men and 28.9 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.
Kirwan literacy in 1911
Of the Kirwans whose literacy was recorded, 79.8% could both read and write, 2.9% could read but not write, and 17.2% 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.
Kirwan common first names
The most common male names were John (148), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (172), followed by Margaret, Ellen, Bridget and Elizabeth.
Kirwan occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Kirwan's census form was "Scholar"; 20.3% (407) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (11.2%), farm labourer (5.7%), general labourer (4%) and domestic servant (3.2%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 17.7% of all Kirwans, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Kirwan?
Kirwans were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 97.2% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (2.1%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Kirwan statistics (1911)
Number: 2,004
Rank: 436
Average Age: 29
Kirwan in the USA (2020)
Number: 2,247
Rank: 13,050
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.