boy's name
Irvin
UR-vin
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 5
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 40,696
Scotland
#708
2009 births
Irvin names a Scottish river valley, and the green water reading describes the water rather than the banks — Brittonic river names usually record color or behavior, not the land beside them. It became a surname and then a nineteenth-century American given name.
- Irvin is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1923, when 826 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 41,442 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Irvin over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 770 |
| 1890s | 789 |
| 1900s | 1,007 |
| 1910s | 5,264 |
| 1920s | 7,284 |
| 1930s | 4,772 |
| 1940s | 3,893 |
| 1950s | 3,385 |
| 1960s | 2,125 |
| 1970s | 1,188 |
| 1980s | 1,407 |
| 1990s | 2,990 |
| 2000s | 3,115 |
| 2010s | 1,522 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 486 |
What Irvin means
Irvin means green water, or fresh water. It is a place name from a river, so it records geography rather than describing the person carrying it.
Where Irvin comes from
Irvin is a variant of Irving, from a place in Dumfriesshire generally read as green water from a Brittonic root, and connected to the River Irvine in Ayrshire. Brittonic river names characteristically describe the water — its color, speed or clarity — rather than the surrounding land. It became a surname and then, in nineteenth-century America, a given name. Irving, elsewhere on this site, is the fuller spelling.
Irvin in use
Irvin peaked in the United States in 1923, when 826 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 1936th in the United States on 80 births, across 40,696 lifetime births. France ran a small separate series peaking at 35 births in 1996, and our records carry the name from 1880.
How popular is Irvin?
In 2025, Irvin was given to 80 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Irvin is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Irvin
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Irvin also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Irvin over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Irvin
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Irvin in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Irvin
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Irvin — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Irvin
What does the name Irvin mean?
Green water — a place in Dumfriesshire, from a Brittonic root.
Is Irving the same name?
Yes — the fuller spelling, written up separately here.
Why does it describe the water?
Brittonic river names characteristically record color, speed or clarity rather than the land.
How popular is Irvin?
1936th in the United States, down from a 1923 peak of 826 births.
Is Irvin a girl's or a boy's name?
Irvin is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Irvin?
Irvin has 2 syllables.
What are the nicknames for Irvin?
Irvin is usually shortened to Irv.
Is Irvin a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Irvin currently ranks #1,936 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.