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

Irelan, 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 Irelan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Irelan in America

Irelan is the 24222nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Irelan surname appeared 1,036 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Irelan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Irelan 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 Irelan

The surname Irelan is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "iren" and "lant", meaning "iron land". This suggests that the name likely originated in areas of England where iron mining or iron working was prevalent.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century. A person named John de Irenlond is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records compiled during the reign of King Edward I.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Irenland, Irnelond, and Yrnelond, reflecting the evolution of spelling conventions over time. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 list a William Irnelond as a taxpayer.

The Irelan surname is also found in historical records from the north of England, particularly in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379 include entries for Robertus de Irneland and Willelmus Irneland, indicating the presence of the name in the region during that period.

One notable individual with the surname Irelan was Sir Gilbert Irelan, a 15th-century English knight who served under King Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. He was present at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 and is mentioned in contemporary accounts of the conflict.

Another prominent figure was Thomas Irelan, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, England, and served as the city's mayor in 1607.

In the 17th century, the surname Irelan is found in various parish records and legal documents across England. For example, the Lancashire Wills and Inventories from 1617 to 1618 include the name of Richard Irelan, a yeoman from the village of Harwood.

During the colonization of the Americas, some individuals with the surname Irelan migrated to the New World. One such person was Robert Irelan, who was born in England around 1630 and settled in Virginia in the mid-1600s.

Throughout history, the Irelan surname has been associated with various place names, such as Irelandside in Durham, England, and Irelandtown in Cumbria, England. These locations likely derived their names from individuals or families with the Irelan surname residing there.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Irelan

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

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 Irelan 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 Irelan 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 Irelan was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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