2000
#2,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,538
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.28
Uncommon Last name
Irizarry
Basque toponymic surname referring to someone from the village of Irizarri in Navarre, Spain, meaning "place of ferns."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,819 Americans carry the last name Irizarry. That puts it at #2,421 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Irizarry 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
17K
1 in 20,379
Census rank
#2,421
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,667 bearers of the surname Irizarry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2421st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Irizarry, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Black (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Irizarry
The surname IRIZARRY has its origins in the Basque Country, a region straddling the border between northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.
The name is derived from the Basque words "iri," meaning town or village, and "zarri," which refers to an old or ancient place. Therefore, IRIZARRY likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who hailed from an old or historic town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name IRIZARRY can be found in a 14th-century document from the town of Lekeitio, in the Basque province of Bizkaia, Spain. The document mentions an individual named Juan Irizarry, who was a local landowner.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records from the nearby town of Markina-Xemein, where a family with the surname IRIZARRY held significant landholdings and influence. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a prominent Basque surname by that time.
Over the centuries, the IRIZARRY name has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Pedro Irizarry y Navarro (1580-1645), a Spanish soldier and explorer who played a role in the early colonization efforts in the Americas.
Another notable IRIZARRY was Juana Irizarry de Olano (1768-1843), a Basque poet and writer who gained recognition for her works in the Basque language during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
In the 19th century, Manuel Irizarry y Reinoso (1809-1878), a Basque-born military officer, served in the Spanish Army and participated in various campaigns in Cuba and the Philippines.
The name IRIZARRY also appears in historical records from Puerto Rico, where it likely arrived with Basque immigrants during the island's Spanish colonial period. One prominent Puerto Rican IRIZARRY was Rafael Irizarry (1870-1937), a lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives in the early 20th century.
Additionally, Ramón Irizarry (1895-1958), a Puerto Rican artist and educator, gained recognition for his contributions to the island's cultural and artistic scene in the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irizarry
Among Census respondents with the surname Irizarry, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Black (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Irizarry 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 Irizarry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.7% · 13,004
- White9.0% · 1,317
- Black or African American1.3% · 189
- Two or more races0.4% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Irizarry
Irizarry 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
#2,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,114
+2,576 bearers (+22.3%)
Per 100,000 4.78
Rank movement Up 297 places
2020
#2,421
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,667
+553 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 4.91
Rank movement Up 139 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,857 | 11,538 | 4.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,560 | 14,114 | 4.78 | +2,576 bearers (+22.3%) | Up 297 places |
| 2020 | #2,421 | 14,667 | 4.91 | +553 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 139 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 Irizarry 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 | #2,560 | #2,421 | 5.4% |
| Count | 14,114 | 14,667 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 4.78 | 4.91 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Irizarry bearers went from 14,114 to 14,667 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 139 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,560 to #2,421.
FAQ
Irizarry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Irizarry?
Name Census estimates that about 16,819 living Americans carry the surname Irizarry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,379 residents.
How common is Irizarry?
Irizarry ranks #2,421 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,667 people with the surname Irizarry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,819), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Irizarry.
Has Irizarry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Irizarry went from 14,114 recorded bearers to 14,667. That is an increase of 553 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,560 to #2,421.
What does the Census say about the background of Irizarry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Irizarry, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.0%) and Black (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Irizarry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (13,004 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Irizarry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.7%), White (9.0%), Black (1.3%). 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 Irizarry (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 Irizarry mean?
Basque toponymic surname referring to someone from the village of Irizarri in Navarre, Spain, meaning "place of ferns." 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 Irizarry (4.91 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 Americans have the surname Irizarry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.