Sheehy family name history and map
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Sheehy in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,842 people named Sheehy in Ireland, about 0.042% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 476th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 947 men and 893 women. (A small number, 2, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Sheehy in Ireland
Kerry was Sheehy country: 38.9% of them (717 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Limerick (555), Cork (326), Kilkenny (64) and Tipperary (63).
Sheehy average age in 1911
The average Sheehy in 1911 was 29.7 years old, 29.6 for men and 29.8 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.
Sheehy literacy in 1911
Of the Sheehys whose literacy was recorded, 80.3% could both read and write, 3.2% 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.
Sheehy common first names
The most common male names were John (169), Patrick, Michael, James and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (189), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Catherine.
Sheehy occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Sheehy's census form was "Scholar"; 23.9% (441) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (18%), farm labourer (5.3%), general labourer (3.7%) and domestic servant (3%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 23.5% of all Sheehys, followed by domestic service, general labourers and retail & commerce.
What religion is Sheehy?
Sheehys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 99.2% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.4%).
Sheehy statistics (1911)
Number: 1,842
Rank: 476
Average Age: 30
Sheehy in the USA (2020)
Number: 4,641
Rank: 6,977
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
Ref: sheehy
Family Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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