Neill family name history and map
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Neill in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 6,047 people named Neill in Ireland, about 0.138% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 117th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 3,081 men and 2,958 women. (A small number, 8, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Neill in Ireland
Antrim had the largest share of Neills, 16.1% (976 people). Next came Cork (713), Down (645), Carlow (480) and Wexford (432).

Neill average age in 1911
The average Neill in 1911 was 30.0 years old, 29.7 for men and 30.2 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.
Neill literacy in 1911
Of the Neills whose literacy was recorded, 76.3% could both read and write, 4% could read but not write, and 19.6% 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.
Neill common first names
The most common male names were John (420), James, Patrick, Thomas and William. For women it was Mary (475), followed by Margaret, Bridget, Ellen and Elizabeth.
Neill occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Neill's census form was "Scholar"; 18.4% (1,113) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (12.3%), farm labourer (5.6%), general labourer (5.1%) and textile worker (3.5%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 18.7% of all Neills, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and domestic service.
What religion is Neill?
Most Neills, 62%, were Roman Catholic. The remainder were mostly Anglican (20.9%), Presbyterian (12.8%), Methodist (1.6%) and Unitarian (0.8%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Neill statistics (1911)
Number: 6,047
Rank: 117
Average Age: 30
Neill in the USA (2020)
Number: 8,623
Rank: 3,997
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.

