Sullivan family name history and map

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Sullivan

Sullivan in 1911 Ireland

The 1911 Census recorded 26,875 people named Sullivan in Ireland, about 0.613% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 6th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 13,790 men and 13,065 women. (A small number, 20, had no sex recorded.)

Counties with Sullivan in Ireland

Cork was Sullivan country: 43.4% of them (11,657 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Kerry (9,467), Limerick (834), Tipperary (724) and Galway (616).
Surname distribution map, 1911 census

Sullivan average age in 1911

The average Sullivan in 1911 was 29.4 years old, 28.9 for men and 30.0 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.

Sullivan literacy in 1911

Of the Sullivans whose literacy was recorded, 72.6% could both read and write, 3% could read but not write, and 24.4% 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.

Sullivan common first names

The most common male names were John (2,369), Patrick, Michael, James and Daniel. For women it was Mary (2,620), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Ellen and Julia.

Sullivan occupations in 1911

The most common entry on a Sullivan's census form was "Scholar"; 21.9% (5,895) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (18.5%), farm labourer (5.2%), general labourer (4.7%) and domestic servant (3.1%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 24.1% of all Sullivans, followed by general labourers, domestic service and textiles & clothing.

What religion is Sullivan?

Sullivans were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 97.5% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (1.2%), Methodist (0.1%) and Presbyterian (0.1%).

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Pete F
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Sullivan statistics (1911)

Number: 26,875
Rank: 6
Average Age: 29

Sullivanin the USA (2020)

Number: 212,701
Rank: 107

Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero. 

Ref: sullivan

Places

Also see...

O'Sullivan
9170 people in 1911

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