# Irwin (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/irwin/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A Scottish or Irish surname originating as a patronymic.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 34,297 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,019 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 9,002 people |
| Change since 2000 | -0.2% (34,374 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɝwɪn/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From a medieval given name Erwin, from Eoforwine, from Old English eofor (“boar”) + wine (“friend”), the latter of which is from Proto-West Germanic *wini.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Irwin in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 93% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.2% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Irwin in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Canada and the United Kingdom.

## People named Irwin

- Steve Irwin, Australian zookeeper, conservationist and TV personality (1962-2006)
- Bill Irwin, American actor, clown, and comedian (born 1950)
- James Irwin, American astronaut (1930-1991)
- Bindi Irwin, Australian conservationist and television personality
- Tom Irwin, American actor
- May Irwin, actress and singer (1862-1938)
- Terri Irwin, American-Australian zoologist, conservationist and television host
- Ashton Irwin, Australian drummer
- Hale Irwin, American golfer
- Robert Irwin, Australian conservationist and wildlife photographer (born 2003)
- Boyd Irwin, actor (1880-1957)
- Robert Irwin, American artist (1928–2023)

and 13 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Irion.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.