Forde family name history and map
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Forde in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 4,104 people named Forde in Ireland, about 0.094% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 209th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 2,133 men and 1,967 women. (A small number, 4, had no sex recorded.)
Counties and map with Forde in Ireland
Galway was Forde country: 25.6% of them (1,050 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Cork (920), Mayo (514), Dublin (217) and Roscommon (142).

Forde average age in 1911
The average Forde in 1911 was 29.6 years old, 29.5 for men and 29.6 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.
Forde literacy in 1911
Of the Fordes whose literacy was recorded, 76.3% could both read and write, 3.7% could read but not write, and 20% 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.
Forde common first names
The most common male names were John (324), Patrick, Michael, Thomas and James; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (332), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Kate.
Forde occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Forde's census form was "Scholar"; 21.5% (882) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (19.7%), general labourer (3.8%), farm labourer (3.2%) and domestic servant (1.9%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 23.5% of all Fordes, followed by general labourers, domestic service and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Forde?
Fordes were predominantly Roman Catholic (86.4%). The remainder were mostly Anglican (8.7%), Presbyterian (3.3%), Methodist (0.8%) and Protestant (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Forde statistics (1911)
Number: 4,104
Rank: 209
Average Age: 30
Forde in the USA (2020)
Number: 5,201
Rank: 6,294
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it may show as zero.

