Burns family name history and map
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Burns in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 7,069 people named Burns in Ireland, about 0.161% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 97th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 3,492 men and 3,567 women. (A small number, 10, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Burns in Ireland
Antrim had the largest share of Burnses, 20.5% (1,449 people). Next came Down (1,401), Armagh (407), Cork (406) and Dublin (259).
Burns average age in 1911
The average Burns in 1911 was 29.9 years old, 29.1 for men and 30.6 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.
Burns literacy in 1911
Of the Burnses whose literacy was recorded, 74.6% could both read and write, 5% could read but not write, and 20.3% 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.
Burns common first names
The most common male names were John (443), James, Patrick, Thomas and William. For women it was Mary (479), followed by Margaret, Bridget, Ellen and Annie; matching the national top five exactly.
Burns occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Burns's census form was "Scholar"; 19.8% (1,399) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (12.3%), general labourer (5.4%), textile worker (5.4%) and farm labourer (4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 16.9% of all Burnses, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and domestic service.
What religion is Burns?
Burnses were predominantly Roman Catholic (70.4%). The remainder were mostly Presbyterian (13.8%), Anglican (11.7%), Methodist (2%) and Congregationalist (0.3%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Burns statistics (1911)
Number: 7,069
Rank: 97
Average Age: 30
Burns in the USA (2020)
Number: 159,111
Rank: 162
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
