Spence family name history and map
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Spence in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 1,895 people named Spence in Ireland, about 0.043% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 464th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 897 men and 995 women. (A small number, 3, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Spence in Ireland
Antrim was Spence country: 45.2% of them (857 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Down (555), Donegal (112), Dublin (91) and Armagh (81).
Spence average age in 1911
The average Spence in 1911 was 28.2 years old, 27.7 for men and 28.7 for women; a touch younger than 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.
Spence literacy in 1911
Of the Spences whose literacy was recorded, 79.1% could both read and write, 4.6% could read but not write, and 16.2% 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.
Spence common first names
The most common male names were James (97), John, William, Robert and Thomas. For women it was Mary (71), followed by Elizabeth, Annie, Margaret and Sarah.
Spence occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Spence's census form was "Scholar"; 21.1% (400) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (7.1%), textile worker (6.6%), general labourer (5.8%) and metal worker / engineer (2.2%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 9.6% of all Spences, followed by textiles & clothing, general labourers and domestic service.
What religion is Spence?
The largest religious group among Spences was Presbyterian, at 41.2%. The remainder were mostly Anglican (39.1%), Methodist (6.4%), Roman Catholic (6.2%) and Plymouth Brethren (1.7%).
Visitor Notes
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Added by
Pete F
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Spence statistics (1911)
Number: 1,895
Rank: 464
Average Age: 28
Spencein the USA (2020)
Number: 35,005
Rank: 984
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
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