Explore the Family Name Ira

The meaning of Ira

1. Italian (Sicily): probably from an ancient Germanic male personal name, Ira, which is of uncertain origin. 2. Indian: from the Hindi male personal name Ira, meaning ‘wind’ in Sanskrit.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ira in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Ira" has seen a rise in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 57,544 in popularity, jumping to 49,914 by 2010 which represents an increase of approximately 13.26 percent. The count of individuals with this surname also increased during this period, from 331 to 420, marking a significant growth of 26.89 percent. Consequently, the proportion of this surname per 100,000 people also increased by 16.67 percent, from 0.12 to 0.14.

20002010Change
Rank#57,544#49,91413.26%
Count33142026.89%
Proportion per 100k0.120.1416.67%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ira

In terms of ethnicity, data derived from the Decennial U.S. Census revealed that most individuals with the surname "Ira" identified as White, making up around 70.09 percent in 2000 and slightly decreasing to 61.90 percent by 2010. The second largest group identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, increasing from 17.52 percent in 2000 to 22.14 percent in 2010. While the proportion of those identifying as Black rose from 4.23 percent to 7.14 percent, those who identified with two or more races decreased significantly. Additionally, there was a new emergence of individuals identifying as Hispanic in 2010, representing 4.05 percent of the population with this surname. There were no individuals who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White70.09%61.9%-11.68%
Asian/Pacific Islander17.52%22.14%26.37%
Black4.23%7.14%68.79%
Hispanic0%4.05%0%
Two or More Races5.14%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%