Irwin Family History

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Irwin Name Meaning

Northern Irish, Scottish, and English: variant of Irvin. English: from the Middle English personal name Irwyn, Erwyn, or Everwyn, Old English Eoforwine, composed of the elements eofor ‘wild boar’ + wine ‘friend’. From the Welsh personal name Urien (see Uren).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Erwin, Lewin, Urwin, Unwin, Fruin, Litwin, Alwin, Itkin, Harwin

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Irwin Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Irwin name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Irwin. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    50%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    24%

  • Germanic Europe

    8%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    3%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Irwin Family Origin

Where is the Irwin family from?

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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 the USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 1,592 Irwin families living in Ontario. This was about 68% of all the recorded Irwin's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Irwin families in 1911.
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.

View Census Data for Irwin

Irwin Family Occupations

What did your Irwin ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Irwin occupation in Canada was Farmer. 38% of Irwin's were Farmers. A less common occupation for the Irwin family was Servant. Farmer, Going To School and Student were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Irwin.

View Census data for Irwin | Data not to scale

  • Farmer

    38%

  • Going To School

    5%

  • Student

    4%

  • Servant

    3%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Irwin ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Irwin Historical Records

What Irwin family records will you find?

Census Record

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 1881 Canadian census records for Irwin

Passenger List

There are 43,000 immigration records available for the last name Irwin. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Irwin immigration records

Draft Card

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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Irwin Life Expectancy

What is the average Irwin lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Irwin life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Irwin in 1941 was 34, and 76 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Irwin

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Irwin ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Famous Irwin Family Ancestors

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