Irvin is a variant of Irving, a Scottish surname taken from the town of Irvine, whose name is usually traced to a Celtic river word meaning "green water" or "fresh water". In the United States it was common among both African-American and Hispanic families in the 20th century. Irvin ranked number 661 in 2000 and number 613 in 2005, but has slipped out of the top 1000 and stands at number 1937 in 2025.