Keeffe family name history and map
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Keeffe in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 2,151 people named Keeffe in Ireland, about 0.049% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 415th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 1,129 men and 1,019 women. (A small number, 3, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Keeffe in Ireland
Cork was Keeffe country: 36.4% of them (782 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Kilkenny (340), Waterford (174), Kerry (154) and Limerick (74).
Keeffe average age in 1911
The average Keeffe in 1911 was 31.5 years old, 31.0 for men and 32.0 for women; slightly older 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.
Keeffe literacy in 1911
Of the Keeffes whose literacy was recorded, 75% could both read and write, 4.1% could read but not write, and 21% could do neither. Men came out slightly ahead, 75.9% reading and writing against 73.8% 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.
Keeffe common first names
The most common male names were John (186), Patrick, Michael, James and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (194), followed by Bridget, Ellen, Margaret and Catherine.
Keeffe occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Keeffe's census form was "Scholar"; 20.4% (438) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (14.9%), farm labourer (9.2%), general labourer (6.4%) and domestic servant (4.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 24.8% of all Keeffes, followed by general labourers, domestic service and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Keeffe?
Keeffes were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 98.8% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.7%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Keeffe statistics (1911)
Number: 2,151
Rank: 415
Average Age: 32
Keeffein the USA (2020)
Number: 392
Rank: 56,329
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
