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

Irvan, 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 Irvan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Irvan in America

Irvan is the 48436th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Irvan surname appeared 436 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 Irvan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Irvan 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 Irvan

The surname Irvan has its origins in Scotland, with the earliest records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the Scottish surname Irving, which itself is derived from the old Gaelic name 'Iar-ghàidheal', meaning 'Westerner' or 'from the Western Isles'.

The name Irvan is thought to have emerged as a result of the anglicization and phonetic spelling of the original Gaelic name. This was a common practice during the medieval period, as surnames were becoming more widespread and standardized.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Irvan can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. A certain William Irvan is listed as being from the region of Dumfriesshire.

Another notable early reference to the name comes from the records of the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1501, where a John Irvan is mentioned as a merchant in Aberdeen.

In the 17th century, the surname Irvan began to appear more frequently in parish records and legal documents throughout Scotland, particularly in the regions of Aberdeenshire, Angus, and Lanarkshire.

One notable figure bearing the surname Irvan was Robert Irvan, born in 1678 in Aberdeenshire. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region, and his descendants continued to use the Irvan spelling for several generations.

Another individual of note was James Irvan, born in 1712 in Lanarkshire. He was a renowned scholar and teacher, and served as the headmaster of the Glasgow Grammar School for over 20 years.

In the 18th century, the surname Irvan began to spread beyond Scotland, with some bearers of the name emigrating to America and other parts of the British Empire. One such individual was William Irvan, born in 1745 in Angus, who served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable figure was Elizabeth Irvan, born in 1779 in Aberdeenshire. She was a respected writer and poet, and her works were widely published in literary journals of the time.

As the 19th century progressed, the surname Irvan continued to be found throughout Scotland, as well as in various parts of North America and other regions where Scottish emigrants had settled.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Irvan

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

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

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

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