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Irvine Family History

Irvine Surname Meaning

Scottish, also common in Northern Ireland, is a habitational name from Irvine in Ayrshire, which is named from a Celtic river. The name is derived from the Welsh words ir and yr, meaning ‘green’ and ‘fresh’, combined with afon, meaning ‘water’.

There has been much confusion with Irving and Irwin. These similar-sounding names often lead to misidentification and mixing.

In addition, the name has Irish connections as well, serving as a variant of Irvin.

Furthermore, it has English roots, being recognized as a variant of Erwin.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Irvine family from?

You can see how Irvine families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Irvine family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Irvine families were found in and Scotland in 1841. In 1840 there were 48 Irvine families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 31% of all the recorded Irvine's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Irvine families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Irvine 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 Irvine ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Irvine. 11% of Irvine men worked as a Farmer and 10% of Irvine women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Irvine were Machinist and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Irvine | 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
    11%
  • Laborer
    11%
  • Salesman
    9%
  • Machinist
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    10%
  • Housewife
    8%
  • Clerk
    8%
  • Stenographer
    6%

What Irvine family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 182,000 census records available for the last name Irvine. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Irvine census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Irvine

Passenger Lists

There are 95,000 immigration records available for the last name Irvine. 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 Irvine immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 24,000 military records available for the last name Irvine. For the veterans among your Irvine ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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