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Ireland Family History

Ireland Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: ethnic name denoting someone from Ireland from Middle English Irland Irlond Erlond (Old English Īraland). The country gets its name from the genitive case of Old English Īras ‘Irishmen’ + land ‘land’.

The stem Īr- is taken from the Celtic name for Ireland Èriu earlier Everiu. The Latin name was (H)ibernia.

The surname is especially common in Liverpool England which has a large Irish population. Compare Irish.

Americanized form of Erland.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Ireland family from?

You can see how Ireland families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Ireland family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Ireland families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1840 there were 85 Ireland families living in New York. This was about 26% of all the recorded Ireland's in USA. New York had the highest population of Ireland families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Ireland surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Ireland ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Ireland. 15% of Ireland men worked as a Farmer and 8% of Ireland women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Ireland were Truck Driver and Clerk.

View Census Data for Ireland | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    15%
  • Laborer
    15%
  • Salesman
    6%
  • Truck Driver
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    8%
  • Stenographer
    8%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Clerk
    6%

What Ireland family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 232,000 census records available for the last name Ireland. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Ireland census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Ireland

Passenger Lists

There are 30,000 immigration records available for the last name Ireland. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Ireland immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 36,000 military records available for the last name Ireland. For the veterans among your Ireland ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Ireland military records

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