Dempsey family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
Dempsey in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 4,604 people named Dempsey in Ireland, about 0.105% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 171st most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 2,296 men and 2,301 women. (A small number, 7, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Dempsey in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Dempseys, 17% (784 people). Next came Wexford (700), Cork (460), Kildare (380) and Antrim (336).

Dempsey average age in 1911
The average Dempsey in 1911 was 29.8 years old, 29.4 for men and 30.2 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.
Dempsey literacy in 1911
Of the Dempseys whose literacy was recorded, 76.5% could both read and write, 4.1% could read but not write, and 19.4% 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.
Dempsey common first names
The most common male names were John (345), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (376), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Kate.
Dempsey occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Dempsey's census form was "Scholar"; 18.6% (856) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (12.4%), general labourer (5.3%), farm labourer (5.1%) and domestic servant (3.4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 18.2% of all Dempseys, followed by domestic service, general labourers and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Dempsey?
Dempseys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 92.4% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (3.5%), Presbyterian (2.8%), Methodist (0.6%) and Unitarian (0.2%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of Dempsey. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
Dempsey statistics (1911)
Number: 4,604
Rank: 171
Average Age: 30
Dempsey in the USA (2020)
Number: 25,900
Rank: 1,330
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
Ref: dempsey
Places
Also see...
No data was found

