McElwee family name history and map
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McElwee in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 363 people named McElwee in Ireland; roughly one in every 12,000 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 196 men and 167 women.
Counties with McElwee in Ireland
The McElwees were heavily concentrated in Donegal, home to 51% of them (185 people). Next came Derry (120), Carlow (13), Tyrone (12) and Dublin (11).
McElwee average age in 1911
The average McElwee in 1911 was 30.1 years old, 30.0 for men and 30.1 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.
McElwee literacy in 1911
Of the McElwees whose literacy was recorded, 75% could both read and write, 8.6% could read but not write, and 16.4% could do neither. Women came out slightly ahead, 80.4% reading and writing against 70.7% of men. 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.
McElwee common first names
The most common male names were John (18), William, James, Charles and Patrick. For women it was Mary (23), followed by Ellen, Annie, Jane and Sarah.
McElwee occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a McElwee's census form was "Scholar"; 22.3% (81) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (14.9%), farm labourer (4.7%), general labourer (3%) and domestic servant (2.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 19.6% of all McElwees, followed by domestic service, textiles & clothing and general labourers.
What religion is McElwee?
Most McElwees, 68%, were Roman Catholic. The remainder were mostly Anglican (17.4%), Presbyterian (11.8%), Plymouth Brethren (1.4%) and Baptist (0.8%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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McElwee statistics (1911)
Number: 363
Rank: 1,685
Average Age: 30
McElweein the USA (2020)
Number: 3,510
Rank: 8,946
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
