2000
#14,778
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,843
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Irick
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name Irwin meaning "boar friend".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,071 Americans carry the last name Irick. That puts it at #15,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Irick 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
2.1K
1 in 165,502
Census rank
#15,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,806 bearers of the surname Irick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Irick, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Irick
The surname Irick is believed to have originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "iric," which means "eternal" or "everlasting." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon an individual or family known for their longevity or enduring legacy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Irick can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In these records, a nobleman named Heinrich Irick is mentioned as a landowner and vassal to the Duke of Saxony.
During the 13th century, the name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Irik," "Iryck," and "Iryke" emerging in different local dialects. These variations likely stemmed from the fluidity of orthography during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name Irick gained further prominence with the rise of a prominent merchant family in the city of Nuremberg. Johann Irick, born in 1342, was a successful trader and landowner who played a significant role in the city's economic and political affairs.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Irick was Hans Irick, a skilled blacksmith who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 15th century. His intricate metalwork and exceptional craftsmanship earned him a reputation that extended beyond the town's borders.
In the 16th century, the name Irick appeared in various records across different regions of Germany, including the Duchy of Württemberg and the Electorate of the Palatinate. One notable individual from this period was Katharina Irick, born in 1521, who gained recognition for her expertise in herbal medicine and her charitable work in caring for the sick and underprivileged.
As the centuries passed, the Irick surname continued to be documented in various parts of Germany, and later, as German immigrants settled in other parts of Europe and the Americas, the name spread to new regions. Some notable individuals with the surname Irick include:
1. Wilhelm Irick (1792-1867), a German-born painter and portraitist who immigrated to the United States and gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from American history.
2. Anna Irick (1849-1928), a German-American educator and suffragist who advocated for women's rights and played a pivotal role in establishing educational opportunities for women in the Midwest.
3. Johann Irick (1871-1942), a German-born engineer and inventor who contributed significantly to the development of early automotive technologies.
4. Emilia Irick (1901-1985), a German-American author and poet whose works explored themes of identity, immigration, and cultural assimilation.
5. Karl Irick (1927-2003), a German-born architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction and redesign of several German cities after World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irick
Among Census respondents with the surname Irick, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Irick 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 Irick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 1,335
- Black or African American18.2% · 328
- Two or more races3.7% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Irick
Irick 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
#15,325
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,914
+71 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#15,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,806
-108 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 256 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,778 | 1,843 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,325 | 1,914 | 0.65 | +71 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #15,581 | 1,806 | 0.60 | -108 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 256 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 Irick 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 | #15,325 | #15,581 | -1.7% |
| Count | 1,914 | 1,806 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.60 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Irick bearers went from 1,914 to 1,806 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 256 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,325 to #15,581.
FAQ
Irick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Irick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,071 living Americans carry the surname Irick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,502 residents.
How common is Irick?
Irick ranks #15,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,806 people with the surname Irick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,071), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Irick.
Has Irick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Irick went from 1,914 recorded bearers to 1,806. That is a decrease of 108 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,325 to #15,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Irick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Irick, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Irick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (1,335 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Irick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Irick (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 Irick mean?
A surname derived from the Germanic personal name Irwin meaning "boar friend". 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 Irick (0.60 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 Irick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.