Swift family name history and map
No data was found
No data was found
Swift in 1911 Ireland
The 1911 Census recorded 495 people named Swift in Ireland; roughly one in every 8,900 people carried the name. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 247 men and 247 women. (A small number, 1, had no sex recorded.)
Counties with Swift in Ireland
Mayo had the largest share of Swifts, 19.6% (97 people). Next came Fermanagh (62), Dublin (44), Monaghan (29) and Wexford (28).
Swift average age in 1911
The average Swift in 1911 was 29.4 years old, 28.7 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.
Swift literacy in 1911
Of the Swifts whose literacy was recorded, 70.5% could both read and write, 4.1% could read but not write, and 25.1% 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.
Swift common first names
The most common male names were John (33), James, Patrick, Thomas and William. For women it was Mary (40), followed by Bridget, Catherine, Anne and Margaret.
Swift occupations in 1911
The most common entry on a Swift's census form was "Scholar"; 23.2% (115) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (13.9%), general labourer (6.5%), shopkeeper / shop assistant / dealer (3.8%) and farm labourer (3.4%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 17.4% of all Swifts, followed by general labourers, retail & commerce and domestic service.
What religion is Swift?
Swifts were predominantly Roman Catholic (84.4%). The remainder were mostly Anglican (12.7%), Methodist (2%) and Plymouth Brethren (0.2%).
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 Swift. 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.
Swift statistics (1911)
Number: 495
Rank: 1,365
Average Age: 29
Swiftin the USA (2020)
Number: 23,678
Rank: 1,468
Note: If there were less than 100 in the USA census it will show as zero.
