Sweeney family name history and map
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Sweeney in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 8,734 people named Sweeney in Ireland, about 0.199% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 66th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 4,387 men and 4,334 women. (A small number, 13, had no sex recorded.)
Counties and map with Sweeney in Ireland
Donegal was Sweeney country: 26.3% of them (2,300 people) lived there in 1911. Next came Cork (1,229), Mayo (1,089), Kerry (536) and Dublin (508).
Sweeney average age in 1911
The average Sweeney in 1911 was 30.1 years old, 29.4 for men and 30.8 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.
Sweeney literacy in 1911
Of the Sweeneys whose literacy was recorded, 69.2% could both read and write, 4.7% could read but not write, and 26.1% 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.
Sweeney common first names
The most common male names were John (629), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (785), followed by Bridget, Ellen, Margaret and Annie; matching the national top five exactly.
Sweeney occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Sweeney's census form was "Scholar"; 21.1% (1,841) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (18.7%), farm labourer (4.4%), general labourer (3.8%) and domestic servant (2.8%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 23.5% of all Sweeneys, followed by domestic service, general labourers and textiles & clothing.
What religion is Sweeney?
Sweeneys were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 96.1% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (2.1%), Presbyterian (0.4%) and Methodist (0.3%).
Visitor Notes
Review type for post source and surnames source type not found
Added by
Pete F
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Sweeney statistics (1911)
Number: 8,734
Rank: 66
Average Age: 30
Sweeney in the USA (2020)
Number: 50,370
Rank: 660
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it may show as zero.
