Kearns family name history and map
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Kearns in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 2,981 people named Kearns in Ireland, about 0.068% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 298th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 1,498 men and 1,479 women. (A small number, 4, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Kearns in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Kearnses, 24.9% (742 people). Next came Mayo (257), Wexford (228), Galway (191) and Wicklow (155).

Kearns average age in 1911
The average Kearns in 1911 was 29.1 years old, 28.8 for men and 29.5 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.
Kearns literacy in 1911
Of the Kearnses whose literacy was recorded, 76.5% could both read and write, 4% could read but not write, and 19.5% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 77.9% reading and writing against 75% 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.
Kearns common first names
The most common male names were John (197), Patrick, James, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (222), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Annie and Catherine.
Kearns occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Kearns's census form was "Scholar"; 21.5% (642) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (12.8%), general labourer (5.5%), farm labourer (3.6%) and domestic servant (2.7%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 17.3% of all Kearnses, followed by general labourers, domestic service and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Kearns?
Kearnses were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 96.3% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (1.9%) and Presbyterian (0.8%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Kearns statistics (1911)
Number: 2,981
Rank: 298
Average Age: 29
Kearns in the USA (2020)
Number: 14,053
Rank: 2,502
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.

