Kelly family name history and map
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Kelly in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 45,628 people named Kelly in Ireland, about 1.041% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 2nd most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 22,784 men and 22,779 women. (A small number, 65, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Kelly in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Kellys, 14.7% (6,706 people). Next came Galway (3,762), Roscommon (2,715), Mayo (2,672) and Antrim (2,002).
Kelly average age in 1911
The average Kelly in 1911 was 30.0 years old, 29.7 for men and 30.3 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.
Kelly literacy in 1911
Of the Kellys whose literacy was recorded, 76.8% could both read and write, 4.2% could read but not write, and 19% 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.
Kelly common first names
The most common male names were John (3,324), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (3,590), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Catherine.
Kelly occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Kelly's census form was "Scholar"; 20.2% (9,239) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (15.8%), general labourer (4.6%), farm labourer (4%) and domestic servant (2.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 20.5% of all Kellys, followed by general labourers, domestic service and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Kelly?
Kellys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 93.1% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (3.4%), Presbyterian (2.1%), Methodist (0.3%) and Unitarian (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Kelly statistics (1911)
Number: 45,628
Rank: 2
Average Age: 30
Kelly in the USA (2020)
Number: 255,516
Rank: 80
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.