2000
#23,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,032
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.38
Rare Last name
Irey
A surname derived from a form of the Old English personal name "Ira", meaning "prosperous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,194 Americans carry the last name Irey. That puts it at #24,966 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 287,064 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Irey 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
1.2K
1 in 287,064
Census rank
#24,966
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,041 bearers of the surname Irey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24966th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Irey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Irey
The surname IREY is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "ire," meaning anger or wrath. This could suggest that the name may have been initially bestowed as a nickname, perhaps referring to an ancestor with a fiery temperament.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the IREY name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property undertaken in England in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears in several variations, such as Iree, Irie, and Irey, suggesting its French origins.
In the 13th century, records show a notable figure named Richard Irey, born around 1220 in the village of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate during the reign of King Henry III.
Another notable bearer of the IREY name was Sir John Irey, born in 1435 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. He was a respected soldier who fought in the Wars of the Roses and was knighted for his bravery on the battlefield by King Edward IV in 1461.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Elizabeth Irey, born in 1542 in the village of Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England, gained recognition as a skilled herbalist and midwife. Her knowledge of medicinal plants and natural remedies was highly regarded in her community.
During the 17th century, the IREY name appears to have spread across the English Channel to the Netherlands. Records from that time show a Dutch merchant named Jan Irey, born in 1618 in Amsterdam, who traded in spices and other goods from the East Indies.
Another historical figure with the IREY surname was Thomas Irey, born in 1712 in the town of Carlisle, Cumberland, England. He was a respected scholar and author who wrote extensively on topics such as philosophy, literature, and classical studies.
Throughout its history, the IREY surname has been associated with various locations, including the towns and villages mentioned above, as well as places like Ire, a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department of southeastern France, and the Ireys, a group of small islands located off the coast of Cornwall, England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irey
Among Census respondents with the surname Irey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Irey 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 Irey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 929
- Two or more races4.4% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 43
- Black or African American1.0% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Irey
Irey 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
#25,518
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 968
-64 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Down 2,414 places
2020
#24,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,041
+73 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #23,104 | 1,032 | 0.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #25,518 | 968 | 0.33 | -64 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 2,414 places |
| 2020 | #24,966 | 1,041 | 0.35 | +73 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 552 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 Irey 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 | #25,518 | #24,966 | 2.2% |
| Count | 968 | 1,041 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.33 | 0.35 | 5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Irey bearers went from 968 to 1,041 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 552 positions in the national ranking, going from #25,518 to #24,966.
FAQ
Irey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Irey?
Name Census estimates that about 1,194 living Americans carry the surname Irey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 287,064 residents.
How common is Irey?
Irey ranks #24,966 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,041 people with the surname Irey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Irey.
Has Irey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Irey went from 968 recorded bearers to 1,041. That is an increase of 73 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #25,518 to #24,966.
What does the Census say about the background of Irey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Irey, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Irey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Irey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Irey (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 Irey mean?
A surname derived from a form of the Old English personal name "Ira", meaning "prosperous". 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 Irey (0.35 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 common is the surname Irey?
Want to know how many people have the surname Irey? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.