Breheny family name history and map
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Breheny in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 594 people named Breheny in Ireland; roughly one in every 7,400 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 301 men and 293 women.
Counties with Breheny in Ireland
The Brehenys were heavily concentrated in Sligo, home to 52% of them (309 people). Next came Roscommon (122), Galway (95), Mayo (42) and Dublin (10).
Breheny average age in 1911
The average Breheny in 1911 was 31.1 years old, 31.4 for men and 30.8 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.
Breheny literacy in 1911
Of the Brehenys whose literacy was recorded, 79.4% could both read and write, 4.2% could read but not write, and 16.4% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 83.2% reading and writing against 75.5% 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.
Breheny common first names
The most common male names were John (59), James, Patrick, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (58), followed by Bridget, Catherine, Margaret and Annie.
Breheny occupations in 1911
The most common occupation among Brehenys was farmer, 26.3% of them (156 people). Next came scholar / student (22.7%), farm labourer (5.4%), general labourer (2.9%) and domestic servant (1.5%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 32.5% of all Brehenys, followed by general labourers, domestic service and retail & commerce.
What religion is Breheny?
Brehenys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 96.8% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.2%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Breheny statistics (1911)
Number: 594
Rank: 1,175
Average Age: 31
Breheny in the USA (2020)
Number: 381
Rank: 57,668
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
