Austin, Anthony, Andrew and Ambrose (yes, Ambrose) in Clare

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Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Austin, Anthony, Andrew and Ambrose (yes, Ambrose) in Clare

Post by Sduddy » Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:49 am

We know that surnames are often concentrated in one county, and even in a particular part of that county. Well, this is also true of some first names. In County Clare, the names Austin, Anthony, Andrew and Ambrose are to be found mostly in the Ennistymon-Kilrush areas.

Austin belongs almost entirely to the Ennistymon area. I looked at the birth records for the period 1864 – 1901 for the 8 Unions : Scarriff (1), Tulla (1), Ennis (5), Kildysart (3), Kilrush (21), Corofin (6), Ennistymon (183) and Ballyvaughan (35). I took into account that part of Limerick Union is in Clare and looked at that also and noted Austin Brennan (1894), Gortagarraun, and Austin Brennan (1873) Mount Garden(?), both born in Cooleycasey registration district.

Anthony is more widely scattered but can be described as a West-Clare name: Scarriff (15), Tulla (8), Ennis (13), Kildysart (6), Kilrush (72), Corofin (7), Ennistymon (95), Ballyvaughan (4). Again I looked at Limerick Union and noted the birth of Anthony Roughan (1875) registered in Bridgetown. And I added the birth of Anthony McGrath (1901) to those registered in Tulla (it's under Galway Union for some reason that I don’t understand).

Andrew is fairly common in the Ennis area, and not so obviously a West-Clare name, but the west of the county has the edge: Scarriff (21), Tulla (12), Ennis (47), Kildysart (23), Kilrush (66), Corofin (23), Ennistymon (87), Ballyvaughan (12). Kilrush and Ennistymon, between them, have more that all the other Unions together.

Ambrose: Scarriff (1), Tulla (1), Ennis (1), Kildysart (2), Kilrush (4), Corofin (0), Ennistymon (3), Ballyvaughan (1).

Here’s the problem: the density of population must be taken into account. I know that there was a general shift of population to the west in the century before the Great Famine and that the population of West Clare was very dense in the pre-famine period, but I don’t know how the west of the county compares with the east of the county in the fifty years after the famine. If the population was greater in the Unions of Kilrush and Ennistymon, then those Unions will produce higher numbers of every first name.

Still it’s safe to say that if you find an Austin, or an Anthony, think Ennistymon.

Sheila

Sduddy
Posts: 1826
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 10:07 am

Re: Austin, Anthony, Andrew and Ambrose (yes, Ambrose) in Cl

Post by Sduddy » Thu Dec 29, 2016 7:59 pm

I did not have to exert myself very much to find the answer to my question regarding the population. I looked at the total number of births for each of the Unions for the period 1864 - 1901. I found that Ennistymon (20,085) and Kilrush (31,961), between them, had almost as many births as all the other unions put together: Scarriff (11,744), Tulla (10,206), Ennis (20,519), Kildysart (11,238), Corofin (5,320), Ballyvaughan (4,131) = 63,158.

Sheila

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