surnames.ie

Surnames by county · Ulster

Most common surnames in County Down

Smith was the commonest surname in Co. Down in 1911: 3,529 people, about one resident in 87. It was followed by Brown, Thompson, Johnston and Wilson.

Counts are people living in the county on census night, with spelling variants combined (Sullivan and O'Sullivan count as one name). The 1926 census covered the Irish Free State only, so it has no figures for this county.

Donegal Waterford Dublin Kilkenny Carlow Limerick Louth Tipperary Roscommon Meath Wicklow Cavan Cork Clare Galway Mayo Sligo Leitrim Offaly Laois Kildare Kerry Monaghan Wexford Longford Westmeath Tyrone Antrim Armagh Fermanagh Londonderry Down

The 25 commonest names, 1911

#SurnamePeoplePer 10,0001901
1 Smith 3,529 115 1
2 Brown 2,619 86 2
3 Thompson 2,563 84 4
4 Johnston 2,510 82 3
5 Wilson 2,349 77 5
6 Campbell 2,261 74 7
7 Martin 2,184 71 6
8 Bell 1,821 60 8
9 Hamilton 1,758 58 11
10 Stewart 1,747 57 10
11 Graham 1,731 57 17
12 Murphy 1,713 56 9
13 Scott 1,650 54 12
14 Moore 1,639 54 14
15 Patterson 1,627 53 13
16 Kelly 1,618 53 15
17 Hanna 1,493 49 19
18 Clarke 1,481 48 26
19 McKee 1,472 48 18
20 Boyd 1,449 47 20
21 Murray 1,433 47 23
22 O'Neill 1,416 46 24
23 Burns 1,403 46 16
24 Robinson 1,380 45 22
25 Cunningham 1,310 43 21

The 1901 columns give the name's rank in the county in that year; a dash means it was outside the top 40. Linked names have a full page with meaning, Irish forms and history.

Names most typical of Down

Among the 100 commonest Irish surnames, these were the most over-represented in Co. Down in 1911, compared with their share of Ireland's population as a whole.

  1. Bell 3.55× 1,821 people · 60 per 10,000
  2. Thompson 3.15× 2,563 people · 84 per 10,000
  3. Scott 3.09× 1,650 people · 54 per 10,000
  4. Hamilton 3.08× 1,758 people · 58 per 10,000
  5. Graham 2.85× 1,731 people · 57 per 10,000
  6. Johnston 2.64× 2,510 people · 82 per 10,000
  7. Reid 2.61× 1,302 people · 43 per 10,000
  8. Stewart 2.54× 1,747 people · 57 per 10,000
  9. Wilson 2.39× 2,349 people · 77 per 10,000
  10. Robinson 2.33× 1,380 people · 45 per 10,000

Questions about surnames in Down

What is the most common surname in County Down?

In the 1911 census the most common surname in Co. Down was Smith, with 3,529 people, or about one resident in 87. The next most common were Brown, Thompson, Johnston and Wilson.

Which surnames are most typical of County Down?

Compared with Ireland as a whole, the names most over-represented in Co. Down in 1911 (among the 100 commonest Irish surnames) were Bell (3.55× the national rate), Thompson (3.15× the national rate), Scott (3.09× the national rate).

Ancestors from County Down?

Browse every townland and household in Co. Down in the 1901, 1911 censuses.

Down records on irishcensus.com