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Irwin Family History

Irwin Surname Meaning

Irish and Scottish: variant of Irvin. English: variant of Erwin.

Welsh: possibly from the Welsh personal name Urien (see Uren) but this is difficult to substantiate.

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


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Where is the Irwin family from?

You can see how Irwin families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Irwin family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Irwin families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 268 Irwin families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 37% of all the recorded Irwin's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Irwin families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Irwin 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 Irwin ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Irwin. 13% of Irwin men worked as a Farmer and 9% of Irwin women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Irwin were Truck Driver and Housekeeper.

View Census Data for Irwin | 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
    13%
  • Laborer
    13%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    9%
  • Housewife
    8%
  • Stenographer
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    6%

What Irwin family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 334,000 census records available for the last name Irwin. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Irwin census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Irwin

Passenger Lists

There are 43,000 immigration records available for the last name Irwin. 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 Irwin immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 57,000 military records available for the last name Irwin. For the veterans among your Irwin ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Irwin military records

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