Irby
A masculine name of Anglo-Saxon origin meaning "green wood stream".
Name Census estimates that about 348 living Americans carry the first name Irby. It is a predominantly male name (97.7% of registrations). The average person named Irby today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Irby births was 1916 (39 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Irby. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Irby is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Irbys were born before 1963.
People living today
348
~ 1 in 984,926 Americans
Peak year
1916
39 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1991 SSA rank
#4,956
Tracked since 1896
Gender
Gender distribution for Irby
Irby leans heavily male at 97.7% of total registrations, but 26 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Irby as a male name
- Ranked #8,720 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1918 (37 births)
Irby as a female name
- Ranked #4,956 in 1943
- 5 female births in 1943
- Peak: 1916 (6 births)
Popularity
Irby: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Irby from the 1890s through to the 1990s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 266 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Irby by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Irby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Irbys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Alabama, Louisiana, Texas recorded the most babies named Irby, while South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 45 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Irby
The name Irby is believed to have its origins in Old Norse, deriving from the word "Irisby," which roughly translates to "town of the Irish people." This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to settlements or towns established by Irish settlers in parts of what is now England or Scotland during the Viking era, around the 9th to 11th centuries.
While the exact origin of the name is not entirely clear, it is thought to be related to the Old Norse word "Ír," meaning "Irishman," and the suffix "-by," which denotes a town or village. This connection to Irish settlers or communities in areas of Norse influence lends the name a unique historical significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Irby can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a place called "Irebi" in Lincolnshire, which is believed to be derived from the same root as the name Irby.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the first name Irby. One such figure was Irby Randolph (1630-1689), a prominent landowner and politician in colonial Virginia. Another was Irby Aubrey Hudson (1836-1896), a American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
In the realm of literature, Irby Goodnight (1919-2004) was an American author and educator known for her children's books, including "Molly Bannaky" and "Across the Bright Lonesome." Additionally, Irby Brown (1924-2015) was an American football player who played professionally for the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Colts in the 1940s and 1950s.
Another notable figure was Irby C. Curry (1925-2008), an American artist and educator who served as the president of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1983 to 1998. His artwork, which focused on abstract expressionism, was exhibited in numerous galleries and museums throughout his career.
While the name Irby may have roots in Old Norse and connections to Irish settlements, it has since been adopted and used across various cultures and regions. Its unique history and enduring presence throughout the centuries make it a fascinating name to explore from an etymological perspective.
People
Irby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Irby as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Irby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Irby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 348 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Irby going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 984,926 US residents.
Is Irby a common name?
We classify Irby as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,130 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Irby most popular?
The single biggest year for Irby was 1916, when 39 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Irby is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Irby a male name?
Yes, 97.7% of people registered as Irby in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.