Ward family name history and map

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Ward in 1911 Ireland

The 1911 Census recorded 9,127 people named Ward in Ireland, about 0.208% of everyone living in the country at the time and the 60th most common surname overall. The name was split fairly evenly between men and women: 4,528 men and 4,590 women. (A small number, 9, had no sex recorded.)

Counties with Ward in Ireland

Donegal had the largest share of Wards, 17.2% (1,572 people). Next came Dublin (1,132), Galway (820), Antrim (532) and Down (494).
Surname distribution map, 1911 census

Ward average age in 1911

The average Ward in 1911 was 30.0 years old, 29.5 for men and 30.4 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.

Ward literacy in 1911

Of the Wards whose literacy was recorded, 73.8% could both read and write, 4.3% could read but not write, and 21.8% 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.

Ward common first names

The most common male names were John (628), Patrick, James, Michael and Thomas; the same five names that topped the list nationally. For women it was Mary (693), followed by Bridget, Margaret, Annie and Ellen; matching the national top five exactly.

Ward occupations in 1911

The most common entry on a Ward's census form was "Scholar"; 19.8% (1,803) were children at school. Among the rest, the most common occupations were farmer (16.6%), general labourer (4%), farm labourer (3.6%) and domestic servant (3%). Grouped by sector, agriculture accounted for 20.9% of all Wards, followed by domestic service, general labourers and textiles & clothing.

What religion is Ward?

Wards were overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, 90.4% of them. The remainder were mostly Anglican (6.1%), Presbyterian (1.8%), Methodist (0.4%) and Quaker (0.1%).

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Pete F
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Ward statistics (1911)

Number: 9,127
Rank: 60
Average Age: 30

Wardin the USA (2020)

Number: 255,767
Rank: 79

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

Ref: ward

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