Find out how popular the last name Irby is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Irby.

Irby, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Irby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Irby in America

Irby is the 3138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Irby surname appeared 11,506 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Irby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Irby to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Irby

The surname IRBY is of English origin, derived from the Old Norse word "ir", meaning green, and the Old English word "by", meaning a farmstead or settlement. It is believed to have originated in the 11th century in the East Midlands region of England, specifically in the village of Irby-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname IRBY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Irebi". This entry refers to the village of Irby-upon-Humber, suggesting that the surname may have originated from the place name.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval records, such as the Rotuli Hundredorum of 1273, where it was spelled "Ireby". This document was a survey of landowners in England, and it mentions several individuals with the surname IRBY.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir Anthony Irby (c. 1547-1624), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Boston, Lincolnshire. He served as Sheriff of Lincolnshire and was knighted by King James I in 1603.

Another prominent figure was John Irby (1615-1689), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1689 until his death. He was a staunch supporter of the Church of England and played a significant role in the religious and political affairs of his time.

In the 18th century, Thomas Irby (1746-1806) was a British naval officer and explorer. He is best known for his travels in Egypt and the Near East, and his accounts of these journeys were published in several volumes.

The surname IRBY also has connections to the village of Irby in Merseyside, England. This village was mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Hirebi" and was likely named after the earlier settlement of Irby-upon-Humber.

Throughout history, the surname IRBY has been spelled in various ways, including Ireby, Irbey, Irbye, and Irbie. These variations reflect regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Irby

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Irby.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Irby was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Irby has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Irby was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Irby, please contact us.

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