McCarthy family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
McCarthy in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 19,235 people named McCarthy in Ireland, about 0.439% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 9th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 9,583 men and 9,633 women. (A small number, 19, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with McCarthy in Ireland
The McCarthys were heavily concentrated in Cork, home to 55.8% of them (10,724 people). Next came Kerry (2,899), Limerick (1,280), Dublin (1,066) and Tipperary (613).
McCarthy average age in 1911
The average McCarthy in 1911 was 29.3 years old, 29.0 for men and 29.7 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.
McCarthy literacy in 1911
Of the McCarthys whose literacy was recorded, 77.8% could both read and write, 2.9% could read but not write, and 19.2% 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.
McCarthy common first names
The most common male names were John (1,453), Patrick, Michael, James and Denis. For women it was Mary (1,679), followed by Margaret, Ellen, Bridget and Kate.
McCarthy occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a McCarthy's census form was "Scholar"; 21% (4,045) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (13.8%), general labourer (4.9%), farm labourer (4.8%) and domestic servant (3.4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 19.1% of all McCarthys, followed by general labourers, domestic service and retail & commerce.
What religion is McCarthy?
McCarthys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 96.7% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (2.1%), Presbyterian (0.3%) and Methodist (0.1%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
IrishHistory.com is passionate about helping people discover and connect with the rich stories of their local communities.
Please use the form below to submit any photos you may have of McCarthy. We're happy to take any suggested edits you may have too. Please be advised it will take us some time to get to these submissions. Thank you.
McCarthy statistics (1911)
Number: 19,235
Rank: 9
Average Age: 29
McCarthy in the USA (2020)
Number: 80,108
Rank: 395
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
