Downing family name history and map
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Downing in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 712 people named Downing in Ireland; roughly one in every 6,200 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 336 men and 375 women. (A small number, 1, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Downing in Ireland
Cork was Downing country: 40% of them (285 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Kerry (213), Derry (58), Dublin (42) and Down (34).
Downing average age in 1911
The average Downing in 1911 was 31.3 years old, 31.1 for men and 31.6 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.
Downing literacy in 1911
Of the Downings whose literacy was recorded, 82% could both read and write, 3.2% could read but not write, and 14.8% could do neither. Women came out slightly ahead, 83.5% reading and writing against 80.2% 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.
Downing common first names
The most common male names were John (42), James, Patrick, Michael and William. For women it was Mary (48), followed by Margaret, Bridget, Annie and Ellen; matching the national top five exactly.
Downing occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Downing's census form was "Scholar"; 21.2% (151) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (17.7%), shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (2.1%), carpenter / joiner (2%) and farm labourer (1.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 20.2% of all Downings, followed by professional, retail & commerce and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Downing?
Downings were predominantly Roman Catholic (85%). The remainder were mostly Anglican (7.6%), Presbyterian (6.5%), Congregationalist (0.4%) and Methodist (0.4%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Downing statistics (1911)
Number: 712
Rank: 1,016
Average Age: 31
Downingin the USA (2020)
Number: 27,775
Rank: 1,248
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
