Balfour family name history
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Balfour in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 126 people named Balfour in Ireland; roughly one in every 35,000 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 60 men and 66 women.
Counties with Balfour in Ireland
The Balfours were heavily concentrated in Fermanagh, home to 65.9% of them (83 people). Next came Down (28), Antrim (7), Dublin (2) and Louth (2).
Balfour average age in 1911
The average Balfour in 1911 was 29.6 years old, 29.0 for men and 30.0 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.
Balfour literacy in 1911
Of the Balfours whose literacy was recorded, 80.8% could both read and write, 2.5% could read but not write, and 16.7% could do neither. Women came out slightly ahead, 82.8% reading and writing against 78.6% of men. 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.
Balfour common first names
The most common male names were James (8), John, Samuel, William and Alexander. For women it was Annie (4), followed by Lizzie, Mary Jane, Catherine and Ellen.
Balfour occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Balfour's census form was "Scholar"; 15.9% (20) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (13.5%), general labourer (4.8%), no occupation / dependent (3.2%) and farm labourer (2.4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 16.7% of all Balfours, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and domestic service.
What religion is Balfour?
Balfours were predominantly Anglican (79.4%). The remainder were mostly Presbyterian (13.5%) and Baptist (0.8%).
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Pete F
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Balfour statistics (1911)
Number: 126
Rank: 3,348
Average Age: 30
Balfourin the USA (2020)
Number: 2,198
Rank: 13,289
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
