2000
#3,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.38
Uncommon Last name
Irvine
A locational surname referring to someone from the Scottish town of Irvine or the River Irvine.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,622 Americans carry the last name Irvine. That puts it at #3,728 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,268 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Irvine 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Irvine with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 32,268
Census rank
#3,728
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,263 bearers of the surname Irvine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3728th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Irvine, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Irvine
The surname Irvine originates from the medieval lands of Renfrewshire in Scotland, deriving its name from the ancient town of Irvine on the Ayrshire coast. The name is believed to have originated from the Gaelic words "iar" meaning "west" and "abhainn" meaning "river," referring to the town's location on the River Irvine.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the 12th century, appearing in the Registrum Monasterii de Passelet as "Iruine" in 1163. This ancient manuscript contains records of land grants and legal transactions involving the nearby Paisley Abbey.
In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historic record of homages sworn to King Edward I of England, the name appears as "Irvyn" and "Irwyn." This document provides evidence of the surname's use in Scotland during the late 13th century.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the name is Sir William de Irvine, who was granted lands in Aberdeenshire by King Robert the Bruce in the early 14th century. Another notable figure is Alexander Irvine, a 15th-century Scottish prelate who served as Bishop of Galloway from 1429 to 1439.
The Irvine family played a significant role in Scottish history, with several members holding influential positions. Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum (1609-1687) was a prominent Scottish Royalist during the English Civil War, while James Irvine (1758-1821) was a Scottish-American writer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives.
Other notable individuals bearing the surname Irvine include Sir Gerard Irvine (1611-1687), a Scottish lawyer and judge, and William Irvine (1741-1804), an American soldier and statesman who served as a Brigadier General in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In addition to its Scottish roots, the Irvine surname has also been associated with place names in other parts of the world. For example, the city of Irvine in California was named after James Irvine, a Scottish immigrant who acquired a vast landholding in the region in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Irvine
Among Census respondents with the surname Irvine, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Irvine 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 Irvine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 7,615
- Black or African American6.4% · 595
- Two or more races4.9% · 451
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 369
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 140
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 93
Timeline
Historical Census data for Irvine
Irvine 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
#3,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,397
+270 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#3,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,263
-134 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 3.10
Rank movement Up 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,572 | 9,127 | 3.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,769 | 9,397 | 3.19 | +270 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #3,728 | 9,263 | 3.10 | -134 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 41 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 Irvine 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 | #3,769 | #3,728 | 1.1% |
| Count | 9,397 | 9,263 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.19 | 3.10 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Irvine bearers went from 9,397 to 9,263 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,769 to #3,728.
FAQ
Irvine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Irvine?
Name Census estimates that about 10,622 living Americans carry the surname Irvine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,268 residents.
How common is Irvine?
Irvine ranks #3,728 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,263 people with the surname Irvine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,622), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Irvine.
Has Irvine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Irvine went from 9,397 recorded bearers to 9,263. That is a decrease of 134 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,769 to #3,728.
What does the Census say about the background of Irvine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Irvine, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.4%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Irvine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (7,615 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Irvine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (6.4%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Irvine (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 Irvine mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the Scottish town of Irvine or the River Irvine. 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 Irvine (3.10 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 are called Irvine?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Irvine is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.