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

Irving, 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 Irving surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Irving in America

Irving is the 2433rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Irving surname appeared 14,896 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Irving.

We can also compare 2010 data for Irving 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 Irving

The surname Irving is of Scottish origin, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "Irvine," which means "green river" or "green water." This name was likely given to individuals who lived near the River Irvine in Ayrshire, Scotland.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Irving can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is William de Irvyn, who was a landowner from Ayrshire.

In the 14th century, the Irving family gained prominence as they acquired lands in the Scottish Borders region. Sir William de Irvine, who lived around 1300, is considered one of the earliest notable individuals with this surname.

The name Irving has undergone various spellings throughout history, including Irvine, Irwin, Erwin, and Ervin. These variations can be found in historical records and documents from different regions of Scotland and England.

One famous bearer of the Irving surname was Washington Irving (1783-1859), an American author and diplomat who is renowned for his works such as "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle." He is considered one of the founders of American literature.

Another notable figure was Sir Henry Irving (1838-1905), an English actor and theatre manager who was widely regarded as the first modern celebrity actor. He was instrumental in reviving and popularizing the works of William Shakespeare during the Victorian era.

In the field of science, Sir Richard Irving (1846-1919) was a British geologist and mineralogist who made significant contributions to the study of igneous rocks and the formation of the Earth's crust.

Edward Irving (1792-1834) was a Scottish minister and founder of the Catholic Apostolic Church, a religious movement that emphasized the continuation of spiritual gifts and apostolic leadership.

Lastly, John Irving (born 1942) is a renowned American novelist and screenwriter, best known for his novels "The World According to Garp," "The Cider House Rules," and "A Prayer for Owen Meany."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Irving

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

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

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

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