A Scottish, English and Irish surname, Irwin comes from the Old English term ‘enforcing’ which meant a wild boar and a friend. The spelling variations for Irwin include Irwing, Urwin, Irvin, Erwin, Erwynn, Everwin, Irwine and Irvine. All across England and parts of Wales the Irwin surname is found. Those counties with the most in population are Yorkshire, Lancashire, Durham, Cumberland, Northumberland, Devon and the city of London. In Scotland the Irwin family name originate in the county of Dumfries-shire along the English-Scottish border. Many with the Irwin name also live in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Midlothian and Angus counties. Within the United States the early Irwin families settled in Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Famous: James Benson Irwin (astronaut), Steve Irwin (wildlife expert; including crocodiles in Australia), Hale Irwin (professional golfer), Andy Irwin (singer and songwriter), William Mills “Bill” Irwin (film, theater and television actor), Denis Irwin (footballer from Ireland), Julienne Irwin (singer), Kenny Irwin Jr. (race car driver), William Henry Irwin (author and journalist), Scott Irwin (professional wrestler), Stu Irwin (actor) and Jeffrey M. Irwin (musician, songwriter and music producer).