Irving

Irving is an anglicised form of the Scottish surname Irvine or Irving, which derives from the River Irvine in Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast. The river name is generally traced to Gaelic roots, with the elements 'iar' (west) and 'abhainn' (river) combining to produce the sense of 'west river,' though some scholars also associate it with a Brythonic Celtic word for flowing or green water. The surname was well established in lowland Scotland by the medieval period, carried by several notable families including the Irvines of Drum in Aberdeenshire, one of the oldest continuously inhabited castles in Scotland. The transition from surname to given name followed a widespread nineteenth-century fashion, particularly strong in the United States, of honouring distinguished family names by placing them in the first-name position. The enormous popularity of Washington Irving, whose tales of the Hudson Valley became cornerstones of American literature, gave the name a particular literary lustre that accelerated its adoption as a forename. By the late nineteenth century Irving had become a firmly established given name in both Britain and America, enjoying particular favour in Jewish immigrant communities who used English-sounding names alongside Hebrew ones. It reached its peak popularity in the early decades of the twentieth century before gradually declining as naming fashions shifted toward fresher choices.

Irving owes much of its cultural standing to the enduring reputation of Washington Irving, the early nineteenth-century American author whose stories of the Hudson Valley, including 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' and 'Rip Van Winkle,' helped establish a distinctly American literary voice. His fame was so considerable that Irving became a fashionable given name on both sides of the Atlantic. The name gained further distinction through Irving Berlin, the prolific composer and lyricist whose songs, from 'White Christmas' to 'There's No Business Like Show Business,' became central to the American popular songbook. Berlin, who was born Israel Baline, adopted the name Irving specifically in honour of Washington Irving, a charming example of one bearer of a name inspiring another generation to carry it forward. Photographer Irving Penn added yet another dimension of cultural achievement to the name through his influential contributions to fashion and portrait photography. In contemporary Britain and America Irving is relatively uncommon, giving it a pleasingly vintage distinction for those who admire names with genuine historical and artistic pedigree.