May family name history and map
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May in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 927 people named May in Ireland; roughly one in every 4,700 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 459 men and 468 women.
Counties with May in Ireland
Dublin had the largest share of Mays, 20% (185 people). Next came Sligo (116), Mayo (107), Antrim (105) and Kildare (43).
May average age in 1911
The average May in 1911 was 31.1 years old, 30.4 for men and 31.7 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.
May literacy in 1911
Of the Mays whose literacy was recorded, 81.6% could both read and write, 2% could read but not write, and 16.5% 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.
May common first names
The most common male names were John (58), James, Patrick, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (50), followed by Bridget, Elizabeth, Margaret and Annie.
May occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a May's census form was "Scholar"; 19.1% (177) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (11.5%), shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (4.5%), general labourer (4%) and farm labourer (3.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 15.3% of all Mays, followed by retail & commerce, domestic service and general labourers.
What religion is May?
Most Mays, 66.9%, were Roman Catholic. The remainder were mostly Anglican (19%), Presbyterian (5.7%), Methodist (2.4%) and Plymouth Brethren (0.6%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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May statistics (1911)
Number: 927
Rank: 835
Average Age: 31
May in the USA (2020)
Number: 101,571
Rank: 304
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.