O'Dea family name history and map
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O'Dea in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,326 people named O'Dea in Ireland, about 0.03% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 641st most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 683 men and 643 women.
Counties with O'Dea in Ireland
The O'Deas were heavily concentrated in Clare, home to 50.9% of them (675 people). Next came Limerick (264), Galway (143), Dublin (73) and Mayo (43).
O'Dea average age in 1911
The average O'Dea in 1911 was 31.4 years old, 30.0 for men and 32.9 for women; slightly 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.
O'Dea literacy in 1911
Of the O'Deas whose literacy was recorded, 83.2% could both read and write, 3.2% could read but not write, and 13.6% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 85.1% reading and writing against 81.2% 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.
O'Dea common first names
The most common male names were John (128), Patrick, Michael, Thomas and James; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (131), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Anne.
O'Dea occupations in 1911
The most common entry on an O'Dea's census form was "Scholar"; 22% (292) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (21.1%), farm labourer (4%), general labourer (3.2%) and domestic servant (2.9%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 25.6% of all O'Deas, followed by domestic service, general labourers and professional.
What religion is O'Dea?
O'Deas were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 99.5% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.4%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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O'Dea statistics (1911)
Number: 1,326
Rank: 641
Average Age: 31
O'Dea in the USA (2020)
Number: 2,877
Rank: 10,618
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.