Sharkey family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
Sharkey in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 2,219 people named Sharkey in Ireland, about 0.051% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 394th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 1,124 men and 1,094 women. (A small number, 1, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Sharkey in Ireland
Donegal was Sharkey country: 27.3% of them (605 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Roscommon (398), Louth (216), Tyrone (185) and Dublin (173).
Sharkey average age in 1911
The average Sharkey in 1911 was 30.6 years old, 31.0 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.
Sharkey literacy in 1911
Of the Sharkeys whose literacy was recorded, 71.3% could both read and write, 4.5% could read but not write, and 24.2% 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.
Sharkey common first names
The most common male names were John (153), Patrick, James, Thomas and Michael; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (186), followed by Bridget, Annie, Catherine and Margaret.
Sharkey occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Sharkey's census form was "Scholar"; 19.2% (427) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (18.3%), farm labourer (4.8%), general labourer (4.1%) and textile worker (3.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 23.5% of all Sharkeys, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and domestic service.
What religion is Sharkey?
Sharkeys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 94.8% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (3.2%), Presbyterian (0.9%), Congregationalist (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 Sharkey. 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.
Sharkey statistics (1911)
Number: 2,219
Rank: 394
Average Age: 31
Sharkey in the USA (2020)
Number: 8,059
Rank: 4,256
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
Ref: sharkey
Places
Also see...
No data was found