Kenny family name history and map
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Kenny in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 8,943 people named Kenny in Ireland, about 0.204% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 62nd most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 4,464 men and 4,467 women. (A small number, 12, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Kenny in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Kennys, 17.6% (1,576 people). Next came Roscommon (848), Galway (804), Mayo (579) and Longford (519).

Kenny average age in 1911
The average Kenny in 1911 was 30.0 years old, 29.5 for men and 30.5 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.
Kenny literacy in 1911
Of the Kennys whose literacy was recorded, 77.2% could both read and write, 3.8% 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.
Kenny common first names
The most common male names were John (642), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (775), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Catherine and Ellen.
Kenny occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Kenny's census form was "Scholar"; 19.9% (1,783) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (17.1%), general labourer (4.1%), farm labourer (3.9%) and domestic servant (2.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 21.9% of all Kennys, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Kenny?
Kennys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 93.1% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (4.1%), Presbyterian (1.5%) and Methodist (0.3%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Kenny statistics (1911)
Number: 8,943
Rank: 62
Average Age: 30
Kennyin the USA (2020)
Number: 16,474
Rank: 2,143
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.

