Kavanagh family name history and map
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Kavanagh in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 8,666 people named Kavanagh in Ireland, about 0.198% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 68th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 4,272 men and 4,377 women. (A small number, 17, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Kavanagh in Ireland
Dublin was Kavanagh country: 33.9% of them (2,935 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Wexford (1,252), Wicklow (1,010), Carlow (474) and Laois (419).
Kavanagh average age in 1911
The average Kavanagh in 1911 was 28.5 years old, 28.5 for men and 28.6 for women; a touch younger 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.
Kavanagh literacy in 1911
Of the Kavanaghs whose literacy was recorded, 78.3% could both read and write, 3.7% could read but not write, and 17.9% 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.
Kavanagh common first names
The most common male names were John (606), Patrick, James, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (741), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Annie and Elizabeth.
Kavanagh occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Kavanagh's census form was "Scholar"; 18.6% (1,610) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (9.5%), general labourer (5.5%), farm labourer (4.2%) and domestic servant (4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 14.5% of all Kavanaghs, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Kavanagh?
Kavanaghs were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 97.5% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (1.4%) and Presbyterian (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Kavanagh statistics (1911)
Number: 8,666
Rank: 68
Average Age: 29
Kavanagh in the USA (2020)
Number: 5,324
Rank: 6,166
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.