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Irby
How to Pronounce Irby
Pronounced UR-bee /ΛΙr.bi/Medium
Meaning: Irby is an English surname from villages named Irby, built on Old Norse 'byr', 'farmstead, settlement' (the first part likely a personal name or 'Irish'). It became a Southern American first name in the surname-name tradition.Low
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Irby comes from English villages of that name in Cheshire and Lincolnshire, formed with the Old Norse byr, 'farmstead' or 'settlement', after an earlier element read as a personal name or 'the Irishmen'. As a given name it belongs to the American habit of turning family surnames into first names.
It saw quiet use in the South, peaking around 1918 and fading over the century. A man named Irby would likely be of a grandparent-or-older generation, and the name reads as a crisp, dated surname-name today.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Irby mean?
Irby is an English surname and place-name from Old Norse meaning 'settlement'.
How do you pronounce Irby?
It's said UR-bee /ΛΙr.bi/ β two syllables, stress on the first.
Is Irby a boy or girl name?
Irby is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Irby?
Irby was always rare in the U.S., an English surname occasionally used as a first name.