Shiel family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
Shiel in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 636 people named Shiel in Ireland; roughly one in every 6,900 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 345 men and 290 women. (A small number, 1, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Shiel in Ireland
Galway was Shiel country: 38.7% of them (246 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Mayo (79), Roscommon (65), Laois (36) and Sligo (36).
Shiel average age in 1911
The average Shiel in 1911 was 30.8 years old, 31.4 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.
Shiel literacy in 1911
Of the Shiels whose literacy was recorded, 74.3% could both read and write, 6.3% could read but not write, and 19.4% 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.
Shiel common first names
The most common male names were Patrick (52), John, Michael, Thomas and James; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (52), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Catherine.
Shiel occupations in 1911
The most common occupation among Shiels was farmer, 25.3% of them (161 people). Next came scholar / student (20.1%), farm labourer (3.3%), general labourer (2.7%) and shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (2.2%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 29.1% of all Shiels, followed by retail & commerce, general labourers and professional.
What religion is Shiel?
Shiels were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 98.4% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (0.8%).
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 Shiel. 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.
Shiel statistics (1911)
Number: 636
Rank: 1,111
Average Age: 31
Shiel in the USA (2020)
Number: 623
Rank: 38,279
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.