Fay family name history and map
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Fay in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,305 people named Fay in Ireland, about 0.03% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 650th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 641 men and 664 women.
Counties with Fay in Ireland
Dublin was Fay country: 27.2% of them (355 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Cavan (295), Westmeath (145), Meath (125) and Louth (101).
Fay average age in 1911
The average Fay in 1911 was 29.0 years old, 28.8 for men and 29.1 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.
Fay literacy in 1911
Of the Fays whose literacy was recorded, 78.7% could both read and write, 4.7% could read but not write, and 16.6% 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.
Fay common first names
The most common male names were Patrick (84), John, James, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (112), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Catherine and Annie.
Fay occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Fay's census form was "Scholar"; 18.5% (241) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (13%), general labourer (4.6%), farm labourer (4.1%) and domestic servant (2.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 17.9% of all Fays, followed by domestic service, general labourers and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Fay?
Fays were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 98.4% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.7%) and Presbyterian (0.3%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Fay statistics (1911)
Number: 1,305
Rank: 650
Average Age: 29
Fayin the USA (2020)
Number: 14,132
Rank: 2,493
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
