> Have you tried doing a similar mapping exercise using the birthplaces given in the British censuses to see if there is a correlation? Thanks Debbie, I have looked at the maps produced by Great Britain Family Names Profiling website http://gbnames.publicprofiler.org/ and based on the 1881 census there appears to be correlation by shire but I have only a vague idea how to quantify it. I may give the 1851 census a spin as that would less daunting with 600 fewer hosueholds to deal with :)

It's worth doing the 1851 census as that would give you a more accurate picture of the surname's distribution than the 1881. You would need to use Griffiths' Valuation maps for the distribution in Ireland. There's a very useful piece of software called GenMap that enables you to compile your own maps based on your own data inputs (eg, Ancestry census indexes): http://www.archersoftware.co.uk/genmap01.htm You might find this website of interest: http://www.mapyourname.com Dynastree is also an interesting mapping website based on telephone directory information and has data for lots of European countries: www.dynastree.co.uk/maps Howard Mathieson has links to some colourful and interesting surname distribution maps on his website which might give you a few ideas: http://www.members.shaw.ca/geogenealogy/pages/surname%20distributions.htm Debbie Kennett