2000
#3,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.09
Uncommon Last name
Irby
A locational surname referring to any of several places in England, likely derived from Old Norse "irr" meaning "angry" and "by" meaning "farm" or "settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,812 Americans carry the last name Irby. That puts it at #3,146 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,753 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Irby surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,753
Census rank
#3,146
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,173 bearers of the surname Irby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3146th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Irby, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irby
Among Census respondents with the surname Irby, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Irby bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Irby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 5,501
- Black or African American42.5% · 4,746
- Two or more races4.5% · 502
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 337
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Irby
Irby appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#3,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,506
+466 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 3.90
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#3,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,173
-333 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.74
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,005 | 11,040 | 4.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,138 | 11,506 | 3.90 | +466 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #3,146 | 11,173 | 3.74 | -333 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 8 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Irby surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,138 | #3,146 | -0.3% |
| Count | 11,506 | 11,173 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.90 | 3.74 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Irby bearers went from 11,506 to 11,173 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,138 to #3,146.
FAQ
Irby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Irby?
Name Census estimates that about 12,812 living Americans carry the surname Irby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,753 residents.
How common is Irby?
Irby ranks #3,146 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,173 people with the surname Irby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,812), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Irby.
Has Irby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Irby went from 11,506 recorded bearers to 11,173. That is a decrease of 333 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,138 to #3,146.
What does the Census say about the background of Irby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Irby, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (42.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Irby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (5,501 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Irby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.2%), Black (42.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Irby (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Irby mean?
A locational surname referring to any of several places in England, likely derived from Old Norse "irr" meaning "angry" and "by" meaning "farm" or "settlement." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Irby (3.74 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Irby?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.