Irving History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
Scotland
England

Etymology of Irving

What does the name Irving mean?

An ancient Strathclyde-Briton family from the Scottish/English Borderlands were the first to use the name Irving. They lived in the parish of Irving in the county of Dumfriesshire or from Irvine in Strathclyde. There are a variety of possible origins of the name and we will explore some of them here. One source claims the name was a "descendant of Erewine (sea friend); or one who came from Irvine (green river), in Ayrshire. " 1

Another source postulates the name was from "Mac Heremon, 'Here-mon's Son.' Heremon was the seventh in descent from Milesius, and became monarch of all Ireland. 2 And another believes that Irwin was "the Irish form of Irvine. The singular Christian name Crinus, which prevails in the family of I. of Tanragoe, co. Sligo, is traditionally derived from Krynin Abethnas, the second husband of the mother of Duncan, King of Scotland." 3

Early Origins of the Irving family

The surname Irving was first found in Ayrshire, at Irvine, a parish, in the district of Cunninghame, about 26 miles (W. S. W.) from Glasgow. "[Irvine] derives its name from the river on which it is situated, and appears to have attained a high degree of importance at a very early period. The inhabitants obtained from Alexander II. a charter conferring upon the town all the privileges of a royal burgh; and a charter confirming all previous grants was subsequently given to them by Robert Bruce, in recompense of their services during his wars with England in the reign of Edward I." 4

Alternatively, the name was "from Irving, the name of an old parish in Dumfriesshire, There are many Irvings (or Irvines as most of the Dumfriesshire families spell the name) here." 5

According to voice of tradition, the family descend from Duncan "the first of Eryvine," killed at the battle of Duncrub in 965. Other records show the earliest listed was William de Irwin, an armor bearer to King Robert the Bruce. He received a grant of lands encompassing the Forest of Drum, on the banks of the River Irvine. And it was here that he had Drum Castle built which would become the family seat of the Clan for centuries. The river originally was named Lar Avon, or West River.

Robert de Hirvine, ancestor of that previous William was mentioned in a Charter dated 1226 and he was at that time tenant of the Douglas Clan. From 1331-33 the family received further grants of land and by 1400 had become a very predominant family. The Chief of the Irvines lead his Clansmen in the Battle of Harlaw in 1511. Sir Alexander Irvine was slain there, and it was said of him: 'Gude Sir Alexander Irvine, The much renowned Laird of Drum.' 5

"Washington Irving (1783-1859), the American author, was son of William Irving, a native of Shapinsay, Orkney." 5

Early History of the Irving family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Irving research. Another 263 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1057, 1323, 1324, 1331, 1332, 1376, 1411, 1455, 1587, 1602, 1638, 1658, 1685, 1689, 1752, 1759, 1762, 1763, 1769, 1890 and 1976 are included under the topic Early Irving History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irving Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Irving has been spelled Irwin, Erwin, Irvine, Irving, Urwin, Erwine, Ervin, Erwing, Ervynn, Ervine, Erwynn, Irwing, Irwryn and many more.

Early Notables of the Irving family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Adam Irvine, Burgess of Irvine in 1455, doubtless derived his surname from Aberdeenshire. Sir Alexander Irvine of Drum (d. 1658), the Royalist, "was descended from William de Irvine, who was armour-bearer to Robert Bruce, and was rewarded for his devoted services by a grant of the forest of Drum, Aberdeenshire, at that time part of a royal forest. A grandson of William de Irvine (Sir Alexander) distinguished himself...
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Irving Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irving World Ranking

In the United States, the name Irving is the 1,895^th most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 6 However, in Australia, the name Irving is ranked the 856^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,626 people with that name. 7 And in New Zealand, the name Irving is the 591^st popular surname with an estimated 1,214 people with that name. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Irving as 672^nd with 9,820 people. 9

Migration of the Irving family to Ireland

Some of the Irving family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 144 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irving migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Irving Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Irving, who arrived in Maryland in 1740 10
William Irving, who arrived in New York in 1763 10
Winifred Irving, who arrived in South Carolina in 1773 10

Irving Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John B Irving, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1823 10
Richard Irving, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1837 10
Robert Irving, aged 35, who landed in New York, NY in 1849 10
Joseph B Irving, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
Edward Irving, who arrived in Mississippi in 1851 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irving migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Irving Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Irving, aged 52, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
Molly Irving, aged 48, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
Mary Irving, aged 23, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
Margaret Irving, aged 10, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
Martha Irving, aged 9, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Susan" in 1838
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irving migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Irving Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Matthew Irving, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for life, transported aboard the "England"on 28th April 1826, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. Thomas Irving, English convict who was convicted in Cumbria (Cumberland), England for life, transported aboard the "Eden" on 8th July 1840, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. William Irving who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 21 years, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island 13
Miss. Mary Irving, (Spalding), Scottish convict who was convicted in Dumfries, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baretto Junior" on 5th April 1850, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
Thomas Irving, aged 30, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Chatham" 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irving migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Irving Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Thomas Irving, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
Mrs. Elizabeth Irving, (b. 1816), aged 43, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 16
Miss Helen Agnes Irving, (b. 1847), aged 12, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 16
Miss Georgina Janet Irving, (b. 1849), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 16
Henry H. Irving, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Persia" in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irving Settlers in New Zealand in the 20th Century

David Irving, aged 23, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
Laurence Irving, aged 20, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
Malcolm Irving, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
Jemima Irving, aged 8, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
Marion Irving, aged 6, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "S. S. Waimana" in 1926
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Irving (post 1700) +

Washington Irving (1783-1859), American author, best known for his short stories, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip van Winkle"
Kenneth Colin "K.C." Irving OC, ONB (1899-1992), Canadian industrialist who in 1989 became one of the world's fourteen richest men according to Forbes Magazine
Blake Irving, American Chief Executive Officer and Board Director of the GoDaddy group of companies
Major-General Frederick Augustus Irving (1894-1995), American Superintendent of US Military Academy West Point (1951-1954) 17
James Irving, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 16th District, 1867-71 18
Henry J. Irving, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from New York County 7th District, 1857 18
Helen M. Irving (b. 1931), American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1972, 1980; Member of Democratic National Committee from Michigan, 1973-77 18
Frederick Irving (b. 1921), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Iceland, 1972; Jamaica, 1977-78 18
Emma L. Irving, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1924 18
Don Irving (b. 1898), American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Illinois 20th District, 1944, 1946; Chair of Pike County Democratic Party, 1949-65 18
... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Irving family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. Laurence Brodribb Irving (1871-1914), English First Class Passenger from London, England, United Kingdom travelling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19
Mrs. Mabel Irving (1880-1914), née Hackney English First Class Passenger from London, England, United Kingdom travelling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking 19

Halifax Explosion

Mrs. Lillian Irving (1871-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 20

HMS Dorsetshire

Thomas Andrew Irving (d. 1945), British Leading Seaman aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 21

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. James Chalmers Irving, English, Able Seaman from Urmston, Manchester, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 22

The Irving Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Candide et constanter
Motto Translation: Fairly and firmly.

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Moore, A.W., Manx Names. London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1906. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baretto-junior
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CHATHAM 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/chatham1852.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 30) Frederick Irving. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Irving/Frederick_Augustus/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html