How common is the surname Ireland?

14,800 people in the United States had the surname Ireland in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,861 Americans. It ranked 2,445th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ireland?

Kathy Ireland, American model and businesswoman, followed by Marin Ireland.

Where is the surname Ireland most common?

Wikidata records people named Ireland in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.

How do you pronounce Ireland?

Ireland is [ˈäɪɚɫɪ̈nd], 3 syllables.

Is the surname Ireland getting more or less common?

More common. 14,168 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,800 in 2010, up 4.5%.

The surname Ireland

An Irish surname, carried by 14,800 people in the United States.

Pronounced [ˈäɪɚɫɪ̈nd] 3 syllables Soundex I645

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ireland is more common than 98.5% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

From Middle English Ireland, Irelond, Irlond, Irland, from Old English Īrland, from Old Irish Ériu + land. See Irish.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 14,800 people named Ireland in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 20,861 Americans. That is up 4.5% since 2000, when the Census counted 14,168.

#2,445

rank among US surnames

14,800

people in 2010

5.0

per 100,000 Americans

+4.5%

change since 2000 (was #2,342)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,436	Dent	14,873	20,759
#2,438	Douglass	14,862	20,774
#2,439	Lundy	14,850	20,791
#2,440	Fay	14,849	20,792
#2,441	Beebe	14,847	20,795
#2,442	Chavis	14,844	20,799
#2,443	Rea	14,819	20,834

Who is named Ireland

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

88% of people named Ireland identified as white (not Hispanic), 6.9% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 88%
Black (not Hispanic) 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 1.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Irelands

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Kathy Ireland
American model and businesswoman, born 1963
Marin Ireland
American actress (born 1979)
John Ireland
British composer and teacher of music (1879-1962)
Kylie Ireland
American pornographic actress, born 1970
Celia Ireland
Australian actress, born 1966
Andy Ireland
American politician (1930–2024)
Anthony Ireland
American basketball player (born 1991)
Dan Ireland
American film director, 1949–2016

Notable Irelands come mostly from the United States (5), the United Kingdom (1) and Australia (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Ireland

Irelan

Ireland has the Soundex code I645, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code I645.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ireland come from?: From Middle English Ireland, Irelond, Irlond, Irland, from Old English Īrland, from Old Irish Ériu + land. See Irish.
How common is the surname Ireland?: 14,800 people in the United States had the surname Ireland in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 20,861 Americans. It ranked 2,445th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ireland?: In the 2010 Census, 88% of people named Ireland identified as white (not Hispanic), and 6.9% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ireland?: Kathy Ireland, American model and businesswoman, followed by Marin Ireland.
Where is the surname Ireland most common?: Wikidata records people named Ireland in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and 1 other country.
How do you pronounce Ireland?: Ireland is [ˈäɪɚɫɪ̈nd], 3 syllables.
Is the surname Ireland getting more or less common?: More common. 14,168 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 14,800 in 2010, up 4.5%.