Cleary family name history and map
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Cleary in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 4,756 people named Cleary in Ireland, about 0.109% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 165th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 2,427 men and 2,327 women. (A small number, 2, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Cleary in Ireland
Tipperary had the largest share of Clearys, 17.4% (826 people). Next came Dublin (584), Clare (478), Wexford (302) and Limerick (290).
Cleary average age in 1911
The average Cleary in 1911 was 30.4 years old, 30.0 for men and 30.9 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.
Cleary literacy in 1911
Of the Clearys whose literacy was recorded, 79.6% could both read and write, 3.8% could read but not write, and 16.5% 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.
Cleary common first names
The most common male names were John (394), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (418), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Catherine.
Cleary occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Cleary's census form was "Scholar"; 20.4% (968) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (16.4%), farm labourer (5.1%), general labourer (4.5%) and domestic servant (3.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 22.3% of all Clearys, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Cleary?
Clearys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 98.4% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.8%) and Presbyterian (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Cleary statistics (1911)
Number: 4,756
Rank: 165
Average Age: 30
Cleary in the USA (2020)
Number: 15,419
Rank: 2,306
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
