Contents [hide]

Irons History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Irons History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Irons is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Irons family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Irons family lived in Norfolk. Their name, however, derives from their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Airaines, in Somme, France.1

Early Origins of the Irons family

The surname Irons was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in A.D. 1066.

Early History of the Irons family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Irons research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1576, 1578 and 1617 are included under the topic Early Irons History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irons Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Irons have been found, including Irons, Kenirons, Hirons, Iron, Hieron and others.

Early Notables of the Irons family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Irons Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irons Ranking

In the United States, the name Irons is the 4,598^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Irons family to Ireland

Some of the Irons family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Irons migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Irons were among those contributors:

Irons Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mathias Irons of Essex, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet
Mrs. Anne Irons of Essex, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 3
Symon Irons, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 4
William Irons, who landed in Maryland in 1678 4
Susannah Irons, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irons Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Irons, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1802 4
Thomas Irons, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1824 4
John Irons, who landed in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1825 4
James, John, Joseph, Samuel, William Irons, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1868

Irons migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Irons Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Irons, English convict from Buckinghamshire, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
Mr. John Irons, English convict who was convicted in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 27 September 1834, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Thomas Irons, (b. 1802), aged 37, English farm labourer who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 10 years for coining, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
Mr. John Irons, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emerald Isle" on 25th June 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
John Irons, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Harpley" in 1848 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Irons migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Irons Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Richard Irons, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
James Irons, aged 34, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Martha Irons, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
Ernest Irons, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "New Era" in 1855
George Irons, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ambrosine" in 1860 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Irons (post 1700) +

Edward Daryl Irons (1923-2022), American economist, professor and dean emeritus at Clark Atlanta University, founding dean of Howard University's School of Business, and organizer and first president of Riverside National Bank
Gerald D. Irons Sr. (1947-2021), American professional football player who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL)
Grant Michael Irons (b. 1979), American football player
David Irons (b. 1982), retired American NFL football cornerback
Peter H. Irons (b. 1940), American political activist, civil rights attorney and legal scholar
Kenny Irons (b. 1983), American NFL football running back
Jack Steven Irons (b. 1962), American musician, best known as the drummer of the rock band The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Maximilian Paul Diarmuid "Max" Irons (b. 1985), English film actor and model
Jeremy John Irons (b. 1948), English Tony award, Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award and BAFTA winning actor
Kenneth "Kenny" Irons (b. 1970), English retired professional footballer
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Irons family +

HMS Cornwall

Stanley Wilfred Norman Irons (d. 1942), British Able Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 11

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emily
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The HARPLEY 1848 - PASSENGER LIST. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848HarpleyPassengerList.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A