Total births
15,946
Boys' name · since 1880
Irwin
15,946 babies named Irwin in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1925. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #5445
- among boys today
- 15,946
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other boys
Irwin currently ranks #5445 among boys' names in America, with 15,946 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Irwin has been recorded 15,946 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #5445 nationally and more common than 62% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1920s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #5445 among boys today
- 15,946 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
- 62% more common than other boys
Data updated Jul 2026
The verdict
Irwin is currently the #5445 boys' name in America, more common than 62% of boys - 15,946 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #5445
- among boys today
- 15,946
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
- 62%
- more common than other boys
Irwin vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#5445
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 62% of names given to boys today.
1920s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Irwin was born in this single decade.
1925
Single peak year
527 babies were named Irwin in 1925 - its busiest year on record.
How Irwin compares
15,946 Top 7% higher than 93% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Irwin's all-time total is 43x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Irwin | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 15,946 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 527 | 23 | 22,252 |
Irwin's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Irwin splits its recorded history at 1953: 18% of all births land in the more recent half, 82% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2023 (6 births) -- compare that against the 1925 peak of 527 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Irwin at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1925
Current rank
#5,445
Active since
1880
Irwin popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1925)
- 527
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Irwin popularity over time - girls
12 total births recorded since 1918 (Irwin as girls' name)
Irwin by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1920s was Irwin's strongest decade.
4,433 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Irwin births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 223
1880s
223 births
- 1890s 258
1890s
258 births
- 1900s 337
1900s
337 births
- 1910s
1910s
1,902 births
- 1920s
1920s
4,433 births
- 1930s
1930s
3,602 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,851 births
- 1950s 1,139
1950s
1,139 births
- 1960s 575
1960s
575 births
- 1970s 264
1970s
264 births
- 1980s 309
1980s
309 births
- 1990s 420
1990s
420 births
- 2000s 364
2000s
364 births
- 2010s 185
2010s
185 births
- 2020s 84
2020s
84 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 4,433 births (28% of all-time use).
How Irwin compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Irwin's total volume
Irwin vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Irwin by state
Where Irwin concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 5,935 | 37.2% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 1,110 | 7.0% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 993 | 6.2% |
| #4 | California | | 762 | 4.8% |
| #5 | New Jersey | | 539 | 3.4% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 379 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Michigan | | 363 | 2.3% |
| #8 | Massachusetts | | 315 | 2.0% |
New York share of Irwin's total US births 37.2%
Even split
5,935 of 15,946 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 30 reporting states.
Irwin appears in 30 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Irwin? ▼
Since 1880, Social Security records show 15,946 babies named Irwin. Today it holds rank #5445 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1925, with 527 births.
When was Irwin most popular? ▼
Irwin was most popular in the 1920s decade with 4,433 total births. The single peak year was 1925.
Where is Irwin most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Irwin are New York (5,935 births), Pennsylvania (1,110 births), Illinois (993 births).
How long has the name Irwin been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Irwin since 1880 -- 146 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Irwin? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Irwing. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Irwin's data
- Irwin's decade-level peak was the 1920s (4,433 total births); usage has since declined to 84 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Irwins (5,935 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Irwin
Nearby Names Like Irwin
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Irwin
Compare Irwin side by side: Irwin vs Irwing
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Irwin
Data Sources
Data as of July 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Irwin: #5445 Boys' Name - 15,946 Births, Peak 1925." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/irwin. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Irwin draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of July 2026.