NameCensus.

UK surname

Irvine

A locational surname referring to someone from the Scottish town of Irvine or the River Irvine.

In the 1881 census there were 6,614 people recorded with the Irvine surname, ranking it #639 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 10,538, ranked #616, up from #639 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Govan Combination, Lerwick and Edinburgh. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include North and East Isles, Lerwick North and Shetland South.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Irvine is 10,627 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 59.3%.

1881 census count

6,614

Ranked #639

Modern count

10,538

2016, ranked #616

Peak year

2010

10,627 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Irvine had 6,614 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #639 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 10,538 in 2016, ranked #616.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 7,917 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Irvine surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Irvine surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Irvine 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 4,303 #658
1861 historical 4,530 #626
1881 historical 6,614 #639
1891 historical 6,972 #643
1901 historical 7,917 #677
1911 historical 1,667 #2,930
1997 modern 9,660 #645
1998 modern 10,001 #645
1999 modern 10,135 #641
2000 modern 10,089 #642
2001 modern 9,832 #643
2002 modern 10,082 #643
2003 modern 9,846 #645
2004 modern 9,880 #641
2005 modern 9,865 #630
2006 modern 9,933 #625
2007 modern 10,042 #624
2008 modern 10,182 #619
2009 modern 10,385 #625
2010 modern 10,627 #624
2011 modern 10,377 #626
2012 modern 10,219 #627
2013 modern 10,365 #626
2014 modern 10,533 #624
2015 modern 10,494 #617
2016 modern 10,538 #616

Geography

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Where Irvines are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Govan Combination, Lerwick, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Tingwall. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to North and East Isles, Lerwick North, Shetland South, Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington and Renfrew South. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Govan Combination Lanark
2 Lerwick Shetland
3 Edinburgh Edinburgh
4 Glasgow Lanark
5 Tingwall Shetland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 North and East Isles Shetland Islands
2 Lerwick North Shetland Islands
3 Shetland South Shetland Islands
4 Paisley Gallowhill and Hillington Renfrewshire
5 Renfrew South Renfrewshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Irvine

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Irvine

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Irvine, 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

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Irvine surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Irvine household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Irvine is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Irvine is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Irvine falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Irvine 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.

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Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

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.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Irvine families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Irvine 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. Lanarkshire leads with 1,231 Irvines recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.91x.

County Total Index
Lanarkshire 1,231 5.91x
Shetland 785 119.42x
Ayrshire 533 11.07x
Midlothian 407 4.72x
Lancashire 362 0.47x
Renfrewshire 344 6.90x
Angus 311 5.22x
Aberdeenshire 307 5.15x
Orkney 250 35.31x
Perthshire 226 7.82x
Fife 171 4.49x
Middlesex 138 0.21x
Roxburghshire 124 10.64x
Stirlingshire 117 4.93x
Dunbartonshire 115 6.65x
Durham 98 0.51x
Wigtownshire 96 11.23x
Northumberland 86 0.90x
Dumfriesshire 73 5.13x
Kent 73 0.33x
Yorkshire 70 0.11x
Selkirkshire 48 8.24x
Surrey 45 0.14x
Kincardineshire 41 5.23x
Banffshire 40 3.00x
Argyllshire 37 2.07x
Cumberland 37 0.67x
Clackmannanshire 36 6.77x
Cheshire 34 0.24x
Devon 28 0.21x
Essex 23 0.18x
Hampshire 22 0.17x
Kirkcudbrightshire 21 2.25x
Sussex 21 0.19x
Buteshire 17 4.36x
Inverness-shire 15 0.78x
Staffordshire 15 0.07x
East Lothian 14 1.64x
Peeblesshire 13 4.29x
Derbyshire 12 0.12x
Monmouthshire 12 0.26x
Cornwall 11 0.15x
West Lothian 11 1.13x
Kinross-shire 10 6.15x
Buckinghamshire 9 0.23x
Caithness 9 1.02x
Oxfordshire 9 0.23x
Sutherland 9 1.82x
Westmorland 9 0.64x
Leicestershire 8 0.11x
Morayshire 8 0.80x
Shropshire 8 0.14x
Berkshire 7 0.14x
Ross-shire 7 0.40x
Suffolk 7 0.09x
Royal Navy 6 0.78x
Gloucestershire 5 0.04x
Glamorgan 3 0.03x
Berwickshire 2 0.26x
Somerset 2 0.02x
Wiltshire 2 0.04x
Channel Islands 1 0.05x
Denbighshire 1 0.04x
Isle of Man 1 0.08x
Norfolk 1 0.01x
Northamptonshire 1 0.02x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.01x
Warwickshire 1 0.01x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Barony in Lanarkshire leads with 331 Irvines recorded in 1881 and an index of 6.28x.

Place Total Index
Barony 331 6.28x
Govan 297 5.77x
Glasgow 238 6.44x
Nesting Lunnas Whalsay 181 312.50x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 164 4.73x
Lerwick Gulberwick 130 127.78x
Tingwall 122 371.39x
Dunrossness 92 106.31x
Kirriemuir 85 57.77x
Dundee 69 3.10x
Old Monkland 67 8.11x
Delting 61 165.00x
Toxteth Park 60 2.32x
Abbey 53 6.96x
Paisley Middle Church 53 18.25x
Everton 51 2.10x
North Leith 50 12.53x
Sandwick 50 188.32x
Kilmarnock 49 8.55x
West Greenock 48 5.36x
Liverpool 47 1.01x
East Greenock 45 9.55x
Liff Benvie 43 4.75x
Stromness 43 80.95x
Dunfermline 41 7.00x
New Monkland 40 6.50x
Maybole 39 26.59x
Hamilton 38 6.55x
Logierait 38 74.73x
Irvine 37 27.65x
Sandsting Aitsting 37 62.11x
Shapinshay 36 167.60x
Dalry 35 15.44x
Maryhill 35 8.59x
North Yell 35 193.48x
South Leith 35 3.61x
Kirkwall St Ola 34 32.06x
New Deer 34 31.51x
Northmavine 34 67.92x
St Quivox 34 20.88x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 32 2.87x
Renfrew 32 19.43x
Abbotshall 31 21.77x
Dalziel 31 13.84x
Kilsyth 31 20.48x
Kirkoswald 31 78.82x
Hawick 30 11.50x
Wilton 30 23.45x
Alloa 29 11.25x
Ayr 29 12.76x
Edinburgh Buccleuch 29 14.22x
Falkirk 28 5.04x
Old Kilpatrick 28 13.70x
Aberdeen Old Machar 27 2.17x
Arbroath 26 13.16x
Galashiels 26 12.08x
Dundonald 25 14.08x
Beith 24 16.70x
Bishopwearmouth 24 1.46x
Perth East Church 24 8.81x
Peterhead 24 7.61x
Kirkintilloch 23 9.79x
Mochrum 23 45.07x
Penninghame 23 26.39x
Barrow In Furness 22 2.12x
Cambusnethan 22 4.76x
Paisley High Church 22 5.54x
Chelsea London 21 1.08x
Neilston 21 8.39x
Bonhill 20 7.20x
Offham 20 252.84x
Slamannan 20 15.39x
Whiteness Weisdale 20 100.76x
Ardrossan 19 11.40x
Dunrossness Fair Isle 19 399.16x
Eastwood 19 6.19x
Kirkcaldy 19 10.05x
Methven 19 44.87x
Old Deer 19 16.82x
Whithorn 19 29.17x

FAQ

Irvine surname: questions and answers

How common was the Irvine surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,614 people were recorded with the Irvine surname. That placed it at #639 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Irvine surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 10,538 in 2016. That gives Irvine a modern rank of #616.

What does the Irvine surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone from the Scottish town of Irvine or the River Irvine.

What does the Irvine map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Irvine 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.