Gillen family name history and map
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Gillen in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,083 people named Gillen in Ireland, about 0.025% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 735th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 515 men and 565 women. (A small number, 3, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Gillen in Ireland
Antrim was Gillen country: 29.4% of them (318 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Sligo (207), Donegal (169), Derry (58) and Longford (58).
Gillen average age in 1911
The average Gillen in 1911 was 30.8 years old, 29.9 for men and 31.5 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.
Gillen literacy in 1911
Of the Gillens whose literacy was recorded, 73.5% could both read and write, 5% could read but not write, and 21.6% 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.
Gillen common first names
The most common male names were Patrick (67), John, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (80), followed by Bridget, Catherine, Margaret and Annie.
Gillen occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Gillen's census form was "Scholar"; 19.1% (207) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (16.6%), textile worker (4.9%), general labourer (3.3%) and domestic servant (3%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 20% of all Gillens, followed by textiles & clothing, domestic service and general labourers.
What religion is Gillen?
Gillens were predominantly Roman Catholic (87.7%). The remainder were mostly Presbyterian (8.6%), Anglican (2%), Plymouth Brethren (0.2%) and Non-Conformist (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Gillen statistics (1911)
Number: 1,083
Rank: 735
Average Age: 31
Gillen in the USA (2020)
Number: 7,793
Rank: 4,412
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.