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

Irwin, 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 Irwin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Irwin in America

Irwin is the 1019th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Irwin surname appeared 34,297 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 12 people would have the surname Irwin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Irwin 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 Irwin

The surname Irwin originated in Scotland and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ire" meaning green and "wyn" meaning friend or lover, suggesting it was initially a descriptive name for someone with an affinity for nature or greenery. It may also have roots in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Strathclyde, where the name first emerged as a territorial designation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Irwin can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls submitted to King Edward I of England, which included the name Irvyn de Dugalstone. This suggests the name was already well-established in Scotland by the late 13th century.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not mention the name Irwin, further reinforcing its Scottish origins. However, the name is found in other early Scottish records, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which date back to the 13th and 14th centuries.

Historically, the Irwin family held significant influence and land holdings in Ayrshire, Scotland. One notable member of the clan was Sir John Irwin (c. 1330-1391), who served as Lord High Chamberlain of Scotland and played a crucial role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England.

Another prominent figure bearing the Irwin surname was William Irwin (1611-1683), an Anglo-Irish soldier and landowner who served as Lord President of Munster in Ireland during the reign of Charles II. He was a key figure in the suppression of the Irish Rebellion of 1641.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Irwin surname dates back to the 17th century, with the arrival of Robert Irwin, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Another notable American with the surname was August Irwin (1853-1924), a businessman and philanthropist who founded the Irwin Auditorium in Philadelphia.

Other historical figures with the Irwin surname include Sir Gerard Irwin (1847-1924), a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas and British Guiana, and Robert Irwin (1928-2018), a highly acclaimed British historian and author known for his works on the Middle East and Islamic culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Irwin

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

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

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

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