boy's name
Irving
UR-ving
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 44,583
Scotland
#355
1985 births
Irving names a Scottish river valley, and it reached American use largely through one writer — Washington Irving, who gave English both Rip Van Winkle and the nickname Gotham for New York. He was himself named for the first president.
- Irving is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1918, when 1,538 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 36,838 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Irving 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 | 654 |
| 1890s | 903 |
| 1900s | 1,524 |
| 1910s | 10,752 |
| 1920s | 11,960 |
| 1930s | 4,247 |
| 1940s | 2,933 |
| 1950s | 2,403 |
| 1960s | 1,466 |
| 1970s | 883 |
| 1980s | 1,204 |
| 1990s | 1,928 |
| 2000s | 1,770 |
| 2010s | 1,240 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 582 |
What Irving means
Irving means green water, or the people of the green river. It is a Scottish place name, so it records where a family came from rather than describing anyone.
Where Irving comes from
Irving is a place in Dumfriesshire, generally read as green water from a Brittonic root — the same element in the River Irvine in Ayrshire. It became a surname and then, in nineteenth-century America, a given name, carried largely by the reputation of Washington Irving. He was named for the first president, wrote Rip Van Winkle and the Sleepy Hollow story, and it was he who first called New York Gotham.
Irving in use
Irving peaked in the United States in 1918, when 1,538 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It now ranks 1789th in the United States on 90 births and 6321st in France on 5, across 44,583 lifetime births in two of the seven markets we track. Our records carry it from 1880, and England and Wales shows only a handful of births in any year.
How popular is Irving?
In 2025, Irving was given to 90 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Irving 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 Irving
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Irving also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Irving over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Irving
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.
Irving 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 Irving
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Irving — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Irving
What does the name Irving mean?
Green water — a place in Dumfriesshire, from a Brittonic root.
Who was Washington Irving?
The writer of Rip Van Winkle and Sleepy Hollow, named for the first president.
Did he name Gotham?
He was the first to use it for New York.
Is Irvine the same name?
The same element, from a river in Ayrshire rather than the Dumfriesshire place.
How popular is the name Irving?
In 2025, Irving was given to 90 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Is Irving a girl's or a boy's name?
Irving is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Irving?
Irving has 2 syllables.
When was Irving most popular?
Irving peaked in 1918, when 1,538 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Irving?
Irving is usually shortened to Irv.
Is Irving a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Irving currently ranks #1,789 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.