Irby
A habitational surname from places in Lincolnshire or Cumberland, originally meaning someone from one of several English villages called Irby/Ireby.
The #3,138 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,833 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Irby is a place-based surname taken from one of the English localities named Irby or Ireby, especially Irby-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire and Ireby in Cumberland. The place-name is generally understood to come from Old Norse elements, with -by meaning "farmstead" or "settlement" and the first element likely referring to a personal name or a descriptive feature. In older surname dictionaries, it is treated simply as "of Irby," that is, a person who came from that place.
History
The name appears in medieval records as a locational byname and later became established as a hereditary surname. Historical writers note Lincolnshire connections for prominent Irby families, including the ancestors of Lord Boston, and also recognize Cumberland and Chester place-names as possible sources. The surname is found in England and later in the United States, where it remains uncommon but well established.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Several English villages contributed to the surname, so two unrelated Irby families could have different geographic origins.
From the historical record
“IRBY, Places in cos, Cumberland Lincoln, and Chester. IRELAND, A native of that country — an Irishman, IREMONGER, Not a dealer in wrath, but a corruption of Ironmonger, Le Irmon- gere. II. R. IRETON, A parish in Derbyshire, which belonged to tlie family temp. Richard Coeur-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom