Friel family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
Friel in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,694 people named Friel in Ireland, about 0.039% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 510th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 855 men and 839 women.
Counties with Friel in Ireland
The Friels were heavily concentrated in Donegal, home to 71.4% of them (1,210 people). Next came Derry (226), Mayo (78), Sligo (61) and Antrim (39).
Friel average age in 1911
The average Friel in 1911 was 30.9 years old, 29.9 for men and 31.8 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.
Friel literacy in 1911
Of the Friels whose literacy was recorded, 65.5% could both read and write, 5.3% could read but not write, and 29.2% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 66.6% reading and writing against 64.3% of 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.
Friel common first names
The most common male names were James (128), John, Patrick, Edward and Michael. For women it was Mary (139), followed by Bridget, Annie, Catherine and Ellen.
Friel occupations in 1911
The most common occupation among Friels was farmer, 20.5% of them (347 people). Next came scholar / student (20.3%), farm labourer (4.2%), general labourer (3.8%) and domestic servant (2.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 24.8% of all Friels, followed by general labourers, textiles & clothing and domestic service.
What religion is Friel?
Friels were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 94.9% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (3.5%), Methodist (0.4%) and Presbyterian (0.1%).
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 Friel. 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.
Friel statistics (1911)
Number: 1,694
Rank: 510
Average Age: 31
Friel in the USA (2020)
Number: 4,466
Rank: 7,210
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.