NameCensus.

UK surname

Irving

Derived from a Scottish place name meaning "green water" or "green river."

In the 1881 census there were 6,670 people recorded with the Irving surname, ranking it #635 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 9,653, ranked #665, down from #635 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Langholm, Carlisle St Cuthbert and Gateshead. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Carlisle, Langholm and Eskdale and Annan East.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Irving is 9,926 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 44.7%.

1881 census count

6,670

Ranked #635

Modern count

9,653

2016, ranked #665

Peak year

1999

9,926 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Irving had 6,670 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #635 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 9,653 in 2016, ranked #665.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 8,525 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Irving surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Irving surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Irving 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 4,602 #606
1861 historical 4,381 #650
1881 historical 6,670 #635
1891 historical 7,054 #636
1901 historical 8,525 #628
1911 historical 6,650 #778
1997 modern 9,556 #657
1998 modern 9,805 #663
1999 modern 9,926 #660
2000 modern 9,782 #665
2001 modern 9,527 #670
2002 modern 9,762 #670
2003 modern 9,484 #672
2004 modern 9,433 #676
2005 modern 9,188 #688
2006 modern 9,179 #687
2007 modern 9,258 #684
2008 modern 9,305 #684
2009 modern 9,556 #681
2010 modern 9,762 #679
2011 modern 9,620 #682
2012 modern 9,540 #670
2013 modern 9,738 #669
2014 modern 9,768 #668
2015 modern 9,673 #667
2016 modern 9,653 #665

Geography

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Where Irvings are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Langholm, Carlisle St Cuthbert, Gateshead, Canonbie and Annan. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Carlisle, Langholm and Eskdale, Annan East and Allerdale. 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 Langholm Dumfries
2 Carlisle St Cuthbert Cumberland
3 Gateshead Durham
4 Canonbie Dumfries
5 Annan Dumfries

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Carlisle 013 Carlisle
2 Langholm and Eskdale Dumfries and Galloway
3 Annan East Dumfries and Galloway
4 Carlisle 007 Carlisle
5 Allerdale 001 Allerdale

Forenames

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First names often paired with Irving

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Irving

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Irving, 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 Irving surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Irving 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, Irving 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

Irving 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

Irving 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 Irving 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 Irving, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of 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."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Irving families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Irving 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. Cumberland leads with 1,820 Irvings recorded in 1881 and an index of 32.48x.

County Total Index
Cumberland 1,820 32.48x
Dumfriesshire 1,118 77.76x
Lancashire 881 1.14x
Yorkshire 313 0.49x
Lanarkshire 297 1.41x
Durham 287 1.48x
Middlesex 262 0.40x
Northumberland 257 2.65x
Kirkcudbrightshire 155 16.45x
Midlothian 105 1.20x
Westmorland 103 7.20x
Surrey 95 0.30x
Wigtownshire 95 10.99x
Kent 79 0.36x
Cheshire 78 0.54x
Warwickshire 54 0.33x
Ayrshire 48 0.99x
Staffordshire 46 0.21x
Roxburghshire 41 3.48x
Sussex 39 0.36x
Renfrewshire 35 0.69x
Berkshire 27 0.55x
Suffolk 25 0.32x
Lincolnshire 23 0.22x
Derbyshire 21 0.21x
Essex 20 0.16x
Oxfordshire 20 0.50x
Clackmannanshire 19 3.53x
Gloucestershire 19 0.15x
Hampshire 19 0.14x
Angus 18 0.30x
Devon 18 0.13x
Wiltshire 17 0.30x
Nottinghamshire 15 0.17x
Stirlingshire 14 0.58x
Pembrokeshire 13 0.63x
Carmarthenshire 12 0.44x
Selkirkshire 11 1.87x
Glamorgan 10 0.09x
Orkney 10 1.40x
Dunbartonshire 9 0.51x
Perthshire 9 0.31x
Worcestershire 9 0.11x
East Lothian 8 0.93x
Leicestershire 8 0.11x
Banffshire 7 0.52x
Morayshire 7 0.69x
Shetland 7 1.05x
Buckinghamshire 6 0.15x
Isle of Man 6 0.50x
West Lothian 6 0.61x
Peeblesshire 5 1.63x
Argyllshire 4 0.22x
Bedfordshire 4 0.12x
Cornwall 4 0.05x
Monmouthshire 4 0.09x
Royal Navy 4 0.52x
Caernarfonshire 3 0.11x
Hertfordshire 3 0.07x
Anglesey 2 0.17x
Dorset 2 0.05x
Fife 2 0.05x
Flintshire 2 0.11x
Inverness-shire 2 0.10x
Norfolk 2 0.02x
Shropshire 2 0.04x
Somerset 2 0.02x
Berwickshire 1 0.13x
Brecknockshire 1 0.08x
Buteshire 1 0.25x
Merionethshire 1 0.08x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Annan in Dumfriesshire leads with 238 Irvings recorded in 1881 and an index of 192.73x.

Place Total Index
Annan 238 192.73x
Caldewgate 174 56.67x
Langholm 157 151.94x
St Cuthbert W O 114 41.74x
Canonbie 100 163.69x
Everton 94 3.82x
Barony 93 1.75x
Liverpool 77 1.64x
Kirkpatrick Fleming 73 222.29x
Toxteth Park 71 2.71x
Workington 71 22.13x
Arthuret 69 118.07x
Govan 66 1.27x
Rickergate 65 54.82x
Crosscanonby 56 30.22x
Dryfesdale 56 84.52x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 56 1.60x
Glasgow 56 1.50x
Hoddam 54 155.89x
Gateshead 52 3.59x
Stanwix 49 108.02x
Gretna 48 177.45x
Penrith 46 22.22x
West Derby 45 1.99x
Middlebie 43 99.70x
Cleator 42 18.01x
Wetheral 42 56.60x
Troqueer 38 30.74x
Birkenhead 37 3.23x
Newcastle On Tyne St 36 7.17x
Arlecdon 35 23.49x
Barnsley 35 5.26x
Elswick 35 4.53x
Bradford 33 2.11x
Cummertrees 33 135.41x
Bishopwearmouth 30 1.81x
Flimby 29 61.26x
Kirkdale 29 2.23x
Barrow In Furness 28 2.67x
Birmingham 28 0.51x
Cockermouth 28 23.73x
Dornock 28 154.02x
Hesket In Forest 28 64.03x
Manchester 28 0.81x
St Marylebone London 27 0.78x
Westoe 27 2.46x
Wigton 27 32.14x
Brampton 26 33.85x
Islington London 26 0.41x
St Mary Within 26 37.14x
Bridekirk 25 55.85x
Chorlton On Medlock 25 2.04x
Dearham 25 33.82x
Rockcliff 25 143.51x
Tundergarth 24 228.79x
Dalton 23 178.29x
Penninghame 23 26.10x
Wreay 23 560.98x
Farlam 22 62.38x
Holme Low 22 142.49x
Oldham 22 0.88x
Seaton 22 33.65x
Kensington London 21 0.58x
Kilmarnock 21 3.62x
Mouswald 21 168.67x
North Meols 21 2.78x
Chirton 20 9.13x
Hawick 20 7.58x
Heworth 20 5.24x
Hulme 20 1.24x
Irthington Newtown 20 346.62x
Langrigg Mealrigg 20 324.15x
Croydon 19 1.08x
Dumfries 19 13.40x
Lochmaben 19 30.16x
Millom 19 11.06x
Salford 19 0.84x
Stranraer 19 24.04x
Wigan 19 1.76x
Padiham 18 9.65x

FAQ

Irving surname: questions and answers

How common was the Irving surname in 1881?

In 1881, 6,670 people were recorded with the Irving surname. That placed it at #635 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Irving surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 9,653 in 2016. That gives Irving a modern rank of #665.

What does the Irving surname mean?

Derived from a Scottish place name meaning "green water" or "green river."

What does the Irving map show?

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