2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ironwing
A surname referring to someone with a strong, rigid disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Ironwing. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ironwing 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Ironwing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ironwing, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 42.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (16.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ironwing
The surname IRONWING has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English phrase meaning "one who possesses the strength and endurance of an iron-winged creature." The name likely originated in the northern regions of England, possibly in Yorkshire or Northumbria, where the harsh terrain and rugged lifestyle demanded resilience and fortitude.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name IRONWING can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a survey of landowners undertaken by King Edward I. The entry refers to a "Robard Ironwynge" who held lands in the village of Brinsworth, near Rotherham in South Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was well-established by the late 13th century and may have been associated with a particular location or family.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name IRONWING was Sir John Ironwing, a knight from Lancashire who fought alongside King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. His bravery and prowess on the battlefield were said to be legendary, earning him the epithet "the Iron-Winged Knight." Sir John's descendants went on to establish a prominent lineage in the north of England, with their ancestral seat located in the village of Ironwingdale, near Preston.
Another notable bearer of the name was Elizabeth IRONWING, a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who lived in Gloucestershire during the 16th century. She is recorded as having donated substantial sums to the construction of almshouses and hospitals for the poor in the city of Bristol. Her legacy endures in the form of the IRONWING Almshouses, which still provide shelter for those in need.
In the 18th century, a distinguished figure named Thomas IRONWING made his mark as a renowned explorer and naturalist. Born in 1725 in Derbyshire, he embarked on numerous expeditions to the far corners of the British Empire, documenting and cataloging countless species of flora and fauna. His extensive collections and meticulous records are housed in the IRONWING Museum of Natural History in London, serving as a testament to his life's work.
Another significant individual was Mary IRONWING, a pioneering female author and journalist who lived in the 19th century. Born in 1832 in Yorkshire, she was one of the first women to have her works published in mainstream literary magazines, paving the way for future generations of female writers. Her seminal work, "The Iron Wings of Progress," was a groundbreaking feminist treatise that challenged the societal norms of the time.
While the surname IRONWING may have evolved and dispersed over the centuries, its deep roots in English history and the remarkable individuals who bore it have left an indelible mark on the cultural and social fabric of the nation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ironwing
Among Census respondents with the surname Ironwing, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 42.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (16.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ironwing 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 Ironwing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native42.7% · 44
- White30.1% · 31
- Two or more races16.5% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ironwing
Ironwing appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Ironwing 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ironwing bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Ironwing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ironwing?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Ironwing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Ironwing?
Ironwing ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Ironwing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ironwing.
Has Ironwing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ironwing went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Ironwing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ironwing, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 42.7%. The next largest groups are White (30.1%) and Two or More Races (16.5%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ironwing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.7% (44 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ironwing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (42.7%), White (30.1%), Two or More Races (16.5%). 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 Ironwing (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 Ironwing mean?
A surname referring to someone with a strong, rigid disposition. 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 Ironwing (0.03 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 last name Ironwing?
See how many people have the surname Ironwing on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.