The investigation into the personal names of the people of any country is a subject surrounded with very great interest. By means of family nomenclature much light can be thrown on the early employments and customs of a people, as well as the sources from which they have sprung. In fact, the history of our country lies enshrined in its Surnames; and on our shop fronts and in our graveyards may be found side by side the names of the descendants of the Milesian Prince of the Scandinavian Viking, and of the Norman Knight.
So far back as 1851 the Census Commissioners for that year attempted to arrange the surnames of the country in such a way as to show their distribution. The effort, however, proved unsuccessful, owing to the difficulties met with, and when the names were partially extracted the task was abandoned.
At the termination of the Census of 1881, the late Dr. Lyons, then M.P. for Dublin, pressed the Government to institute an inquiry into names, such as had been attempted in 1851, and his proposal was very favourably entertained, but as the work of the Census Department was then about to close, the Commissioners were unable to comply with his request.