Irwin

I1R1W4I1N1
US/ˈɝwɪn/

proper noun

A Scottish or Irish surname originating as a patronymic.

OriginOld English eofor ← Proto-West Germanic *wini →
CommonScrabble 8
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Meanings

proper nounIrwin (countable and uncountable, plural Irwins)

plural Irwins

  1. countableuncountableA Scottish or Irish surname originating as a patronymic.
  2. countableuncountableA male given name transferred from the surname.
  3. A number of places in the United States:
    1. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Merced County, California.
    2. countableuncountableA minor city in Bonneville County, Idaho.
    3. countableuncountableA village in Kankakee County, Illinois.
    4. countableuncountableA minor city in Shelby County, Iowa.
    5. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Cherry County, Nebraska.
    6. countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Union Township, Union County, Ohio.
    7. countableuncountableA borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.
    8. countableuncountableA township in Venango County, Pennsylvania.
    9. countableuncountableA census-designated place in Lancaster County, South Carolina.
  4. countableuncountableA local government area, the Shire of Irwin, in the Mid West region, Western Australia.

Origin

  1. Proto-West Germanic*wini
  2. Old Englisheofor“boar”
  3. EnglishIrwin

From a medieval given name Erwin, from Eoforwine, from Old English eofor (“boar”) + wine (“friend”), the latter of which is from Proto-West Germanic *wini.

More words from Old English, Proto-West Germanic

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Irwin. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irwin

MLA

“Irwin.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irwin. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Irwin,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Irwin.

Source: Irwin on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.