Frequency: (4521)
(number of times this surname appears in a sample database of 88.7 million names, representing one third of the 1997 US population)
Scottish: habitational name from Irving in Dumfries and Galloway region, which has the same origin as Irvine, with which it has become inextricably confused.
FOREBEARS: The writer Washington Irving (1783-1859), who wrote the stories ‘Rip Van Winkle’ and ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’, was born in NY. His father was Deacon William Irving (from a family also recorded as Irvine), who came to NY in 1763 from Orkney, Scotland, a former British packet officer, a patriot during the Revolution, and a successful merchant.
See the Key to the Dictionary or consult the General Introduction for further explanation.
