NameCensus.

UK surname

Irish

Referring to someone from Ireland or of Irish descent.

In the 1881 census there were 866 people recorded with the Irish surname, ranking it #4,370 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,165, ranked #5,070, down from #4,370 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Portsmouth, Portsea. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tandridge, Sedgemoor and West Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Irish is 1,225 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 34.5%.

1881 census count

866

Ranked #4,370

Modern count

1,165

2016, ranked #5,070

Peak year

2000

1,225 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Irish had 866 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #4,370 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,165 in 2016, ranked #5,070.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,167 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Irish surname distribution map

The map shows where the Irish surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Irish surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Irish over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 627 #4,138
1861 historical 564 #4,667
1881 historical 866 #4,370
1891 historical 752 #5,296
1901 historical 1,027 #4,649
1911 historical 1,167 #4,003
1997 modern 1,133 #4,945
1998 modern 1,197 #4,889
1999 modern 1,206 #4,911
2000 modern 1,225 #4,808
2001 modern 1,198 #4,803
2002 modern 1,212 #4,862
2003 modern 1,151 #4,988
2004 modern 1,149 #5,003
2005 modern 1,133 #5,007
2006 modern 1,122 #5,054
2007 modern 1,125 #5,084
2008 modern 1,121 #5,138
2009 modern 1,153 #5,124
2010 modern 1,167 #5,160
2011 modern 1,154 #5,168
2012 modern 1,145 #5,106
2013 modern 1,162 #5,131
2014 modern 1,167 #5,140
2015 modern 1,166 #5,094
2016 modern 1,165 #5,070

Geography

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Where Irishs are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Portsmouth, Portsea, Ashburton and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tandridge, Sedgemoor, West Devon and Teignbridge. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 St Pancras London (North Districts)
3 Portsmouth, Portsea Hampshire
4 Ashburton Devon
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tandridge 011 Tandridge
2 Sedgemoor 014 Sedgemoor
3 West Devon 003 West Devon
4 Teignbridge 019 Teignbridge
5 Sedgemoor 009 Sedgemoor

Forenames

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First names often paired with Irish

These lists show first names that appear often with the Irish surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Irish

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Irish, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Irish surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Irish household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Social Rented Sector Families with Children

Group

Social Rented Sector Pockets

Within London, Irish is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Pockets, part of Social Rented Sector Families with Children. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Found in pockets across London, residents are less likely to live in private sector rentals and fewer adults are students. Fewer individuals work in transport and communications occupations relative to the Supergroup average. More individuals identify as Black and were born in Africa.

Wider London pattern

Residents of these neighbourhoods include sizable numbers identifying with ethnicities originating outside Europe, particularly in Africa or Bangladesh. The proportion of residents identifying as White, Indian or Pakistani is well below the London average. Neighbourhood age profiles are skewed towards younger adults, and above average numbers of families have children. Rates of use of English at home are below average. Marriage rates are low, and levels of separation or divorce are above average. Housing is predominantly in flats, and renting in the social rented sector the norm - few residents are owner occupiers. Housing is often overcrowded, and neighbourhoods are amongst the most densely populated in London. Disability rates are above average, although levels of unpaid care provision are about average. Employment is in caring, leisure, other service occupations, sales and customer service, or process, plant, and machine operation. Part time working and full-time student study are common. Levels of unemployment are slightly above average. Most residents have only Level 1 or 2 educational qualifications or have completed apprenticeships.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Irish is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Irish falls in decile 7 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

7
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Irish is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Irish, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Irish

The surname Irish is thought to have originated in Scotland and Ireland. The name is believed to be derived from the Gaelic word "Eireannach," which means "Irish person" or "from Ireland." This suggests that the name was originally given as a descriptive surname to someone who had immigrated from Ireland to Scotland or another part of the British Isles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Irish can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which were a series of homage rolls that documented those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, a person named Gillecrist Irisshe is mentioned, which is likely an early spelling variation of the surname Irish.

Another early reference to the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century. In these records, a person named William Iryssche is listed as having been granted lands in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.

One notable bearer of the Irish surname was John Irish, a 16th-century Scottish Protestant reformer and minister. He was born around 1505 and played a significant role in the establishment of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland.

In England, the Irish surname can be traced back to the 13th century. One early record mentions a man named Richard le Irissh, who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292.

Another noteworthy individual with the Irish surname was John Irish, an English poet and playwright who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is best known for his work "The Unfortunate Traveller or The Life of Jack Wilton," which was published in 1594.

In the United States, the Irish surname has been present since the colonial era. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Irish, who was born in Massachusetts in 1637 and later became a prominent landowner and militia officer in the town of Falmouth (now Portland, Maine).

Other notable individuals with the Irish surname include Jane Irish (1828-1896), an American philanthropist and advocate for women's rights, and John Irish (1879-1963), an American politician who served as the 57th Governor of Connecticut from 1935 to 1939.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Irish families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Irish surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 172 Irishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 9.70x.

County Total Index
Devon 172 9.70x
Middlesex 128 1.50x
Somerset 100 7.30x
Sussex 62 4.32x
Hampshire 58 3.32x
Worcestershire 55 4.95x
Yorkshire 54 0.64x
Surrey 46 1.11x
Lancashire 34 0.34x
Dorset 23 4.12x
Durham 17 0.67x
Kent 15 0.52x
Cheshire 13 0.69x
Staffordshire 11 0.38x
Hertfordshire 9 1.53x
Leicestershire 9 0.95x
Berkshire 8 1.25x
Cornwall 8 0.83x
Gloucestershire 8 0.48x
Derbyshire 7 0.53x
Channel Islands 6 2.38x
Cumberland 5 0.68x
Suffolk 5 0.48x
Essex 3 0.18x
Huntingdonshire 3 1.77x
Northamptonshire 3 0.37x
Royal Navy 3 2.96x
Warwickshire 3 0.14x
Glamorgan 2 0.13x
Bedfordshire 1 0.23x
Brecknockshire 1 0.59x
Lanarkshire 1 0.04x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Bromsgrove in Worcestershire leads with 32 Irishs recorded in 1881 and an index of 85.49x.

Place Total Index
Bromsgrove 32 85.49x
Islington London 25 3.03x
St Pancras London 24 3.50x
Portsea 23 6.72x
Hinton St George 21 1055.28x
Ashburton 18 212.51x
Bridgewater 14 37.62x
Cornworthy 11 901.64x
Felpham 11 666.67x
Lavant Mid 11 924.37x
North Petherton 11 99.46x
Wetherby 11 200.00x
Bathealton 10 2702.70x
Camberwell 10 1.84x
Havant 10 113.12x
Withycombe Rawleigh 10 108.34x
Bushey 9 64.42x
Clayhidon 9 523.26x
Ipplepen 9 373.44x
Limehouse London 9 9.63x
Newington 9 2.86x
Westbourne 9 125.87x
Lambeth 8 1.08x
Lewisham 8 5.16x
Little Bolton 8 6.16x
Plymouth Charles The 8 10.24x
Seaton 8 117.13x
South Petherton 8 112.99x
Uplyme 8 300.75x
Bampton 7 128.91x
Bradfield 7 207.10x
Hackney London 7 1.47x
Highweek 7 110.76x
Ilsington 7 225.81x
Lyme Regis 7 104.63x
Monk Hesleden 7 99.15x
St George Martyr London 7 40.58x
Stapeley 7 400.00x
Subdeanery 7 64.28x
Tadcaster West 7 104.79x
Wymering 7 243.90x
Banwell 6 120.00x
Battersea 6 1.91x
Brighton 6 2.07x
Brixham 6 29.21x
Checkley 6 80.32x
Derby St Alkmund 6 15.02x
Fewston 6 638.30x
Great Bolton 6 4.48x
Leicester St Margaret 6 2.61x
Lidford 6 75.38x
Oldbury 6 10.97x
Paddington London 6 1.92x
Plymouth St Andrew 6 4.39x
St Peter Port 6 12.85x
Stoke Damerel 6 4.84x
Thorne St Margaret 6 1764.71x
Tonbridge 6 5.73x
Walkhampton 6 352.94x
Bishops Waltham 5 68.78x
Buckland 5 602.41x
Clerkenwell London 5 2.49x
Constantine 5 89.13x
Dinnington 5 1063.83x
Dorchester Holy Trinity 5 110.38x
Harberton 5 123.76x
Harrington 5 56.50x
Knaresborough 5 37.74x
Leeds 5 1.05x
Lowestoft 5 10.20x
Manchester 5 1.10x
Norton 5 53.71x
Redditch 5 22.17x
Sheffield 5 1.86x
Sherborne 5 30.38x
South Bersted 5 40.95x
St Luke London 5 3.66x
Stoke Newington London 5 7.54x
Collumpton 4 487.80x
Kensington London 4 0.84x

FAQ

Irish surname: questions and answers

How common was the Irish surname in 1881?

In 1881, 866 people were recorded with the Irish surname. That placed it at #4,370 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Irish surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,165 in 2016. That gives Irish a modern rank of #5,070.

What does the Irish surname mean?

Referring to someone from Ireland or of Irish descent.

What does the Irish map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Irish bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.