Hi -- Matheson Database does not pick up rare surnames with an ocurrance of less than five, or name each county the surname was found in (only the top three). Still, to be fair, no data is unflawed and this seems to be a valuable indicator for the great majority of surnames of children born in Ireland in 1891. A couple years ago I posted a list at Rootsweb Message Boards re unusual surnames found prinicipally in particular Irish counties, based on a survey of area-specific experts. I keyed the surnames into the Rootsweb database and would be found in a surname search. Of course, there would be exceptions, the surname found in an adjoining county or in Dublin or Cork where people immigrated to look for work, but bottom line, most families stayed put for many generations. All this type of information helps narrow down counties in which to search for ancestors. There is no substitute, however, for reading about your particular surname in an Irish surname book at your local library for the history behind the name, variations, distribution in Ireland. Some names are particular to one location! Some names have been anglicized. Surname books address these questions and often include the exact location in England where planters with that surname came from. Some given name are particular to certain provinces. The main thing for researchers to keep in mind that names on certificates, censuses, tombstones may have a variation of spellings and mispellings. I just found my English grandmother with her surname of George listed on a Liverpool census as Georgie. Jean