220 Surnames Starting With I and What They Mean

Looking for surnames starting with I? We have gathered 220 of them here, from one-letter Korean forms to long Italian and Icelandic patronymics.

Familiar names such as Ingram, Irwin and Isaac sit beside rarer finds like Ikeda, Iliev and Ixtabalan, and every entry explains where the name comes from and what it means.

Where a surname doubles as an American first name, we have added its current federal ranking from Social Security Administration birth records, which publish nothing for a name given to fewer than five babies in a year ⁽¹⁾.

Unique and Short I Last Names

Here are 7 of the shortest rare surnames beginning with the letter I.

1. I: The shortest surname here, a Korean form of Lee that traces back to the Chinese surname Li. It means plum or plum tree.
2. Ie: It’s written with Chinese characters read as surplus or remaining. Ie turns up most often in Cambodia.
3. Im: Widely used in South Korea, Im comes from the Sino-Korean character for forest. A second sense gives it the meaning dependable.
4. In: A Khmer variant of Lin, built on the Chinese character for forest. U.S. birth records last listed In as a girls’ name in 1982.
5. Ip: Ip is the Cantonese form of the Mandarin Yip. It carries the senses leaf, harmony and page.
6. Iu: Iu comes from Chinese characters for poplar tree and outstanding. It’s also a common surname in Vietnam.
7. Ix: A rare surname from Mexico, Ix most likely names the Mayan jaguar goddess Ixchel. She’s known as the rainbow lady.

3-Letter Last Names That Start with I

Check out these 12 unique 3-letter I last names.

1. Ibe: German families use Ibe as a variant of Ivo, though the same spelling reads as water well in Japanese and family in Nigerian Igbo. It surfaced in U.S. baby-name records for a single year, 1977.
2. Ice: An Americanized spelling of the Yiddish and German Eis, iron, with a possible link to the Germanic word for sword. As a given name it is new to U.S. birth records, first listed in 2021 and ranked 11,175th in 2025.
3. Ida: Say it EE-DA. The Japanese spelling joins characters for well and rice field. Ida ranked 49th among U.S. girls in 1913 and has climbed again lately, landing at 1,120th in 2025.
4. Ide: Japanese in origin, Ide pairs well with exit. In rare readings, it points to an archer instead.
5. Ige: Yoruba speakers in West Africa use Ige for a child born feet first. The same letters mean technique in Japanese.
6. Igo: Irish Norman roots may take Igo back to Mac Igó. Basque separately gives it the sense to ascend.
7. Iha: Iha is one of Japan’s better-known three-letter surnames. It reads as those waves or stone.
8. Ihm: Ihm is a scarce English surname of uncertain meaning. It’s carried by roughly 1,116 people worldwide.
9. Ike: Ike means pond or pool in Japanese and divine power in Igbo. Americans have used it as a given name since the 1880s, and it sat at 2,460th in 2025.
10. Ion: Basque and Romanian speakers use Ion as their form of John, Jehovah is gracious. Its U.S. given-name use is rising, up about 41 percent on the previous decade of births to 6,250th in 2025.
11. Itō: Itō reads as this wisteria in Japanese. It ranks 406th among the most common surnames worldwide.
12. Ivy: Derived from the Anglo-Saxon Ive, so it reads as son of Ive rather than the climbing plant. Of every name on this list, Ivy is the one Americans give to babies most often today, 39th in 2025 and up about 197 percent on the previous decade.

4-Letter Surnames Starting with I

Here are 25 of the most common 4-letter last names starting with I.

1. Iams: Iams is an Old Irish clan name tied to Innes. It comes from the Gaelic word for island.
2. Icke: Middle High German gives Icke its sword sense. It may just as easily come from the Frisian name Ico.
3. Idah: An English respelling of the Japanese Ida, naming a rice paddy with a well. It faded out of U.S. birth records after 1920.
4. Iden: Old English words for a pasture by the yew trees sit behind Iden, which likely also denotes fenland. Given-name use is down about 22 percent decade on decade, to 9,224th in 2025.
5. Idle: English families spell it Idell, and Germans spell it Eitel. Old Welsh offers Iudhail, bountiful lord.
6. Idol: Idol is Anglo-Saxon and genuinely rare. Fewer than 2,000 people worldwide carry it.
7. Ifft: Ifft is a locational name. It’s taken from Ifta in Thuringia, Germany.
8. Igel: Ashkenazi Jewish families carried the surname Igel. It comes from the Middle High German word for hedgehog.
9. Igoe: Igoe is Irish. It probably comes from Ó hUigínn, descendant of Uigínn.
10. Igou: Igou is the Irish form of Norman Igo or Ingou. It’s rooted in a Scandinavian name meaning Ing’s wolf.
11. Ihde: Germanic id supplies the root here. That gives Ihde the sense of work or labor.
12. Ihle: Danish and German neighbors of the river Ihle carried this name. It goes back to the Old Norse word for spring.
13. Iida: Iida is Japanese for a cooked rice field. It’s a separate name from Ida despite the near match.
14. Ikin: Scottish and English usage blends Adam with kin. It also doubles as a matronymic pet form of Ida.
15. Ilić: Ilić means son of Ilija. It’s a Croatian patronymic that links back to the Hebrew Elijah.
16. Imai: Imai is a high-frequency Japanese name. It joins kanji for present and well.
17. İnce: İnce is Turkish for thin or slim. It’s very common in Turkey.
18. Inch: Anglo-Saxon of Ince lies behind Inch. It also works as a variant of the Scottish Innes.
19. Insh: Insh is a rare Scottish surname. It comes from the Scottish-Irish word for island.
20. Iron: Straight from the Old English word for the metal, and probably a blacksmith’s name. It appeared in U.S. birth records between 1978 and 2019.
21. Iver: A Norwegian form of Ivar, from the Old Norse for yew bow warrior. No name here is climbing faster as a U.S. baby name: Iver is up about 236 percent on the previous decade of births and ranked 2,170th in 2025.
22. Ivey: Normans read it as from Ivoy, Anglo-Saxons as son of Ive. Either way it is having a moment, ranking 926th among U.S. babies in 2025 after a 164 percent decade-on-decade rise.
23. Ivov: Bulgarian families use Ivov as a pet form of Ivan. That lands on son of Ivo, another branch of John.
24. Iwai: Iwai is a widespread Japanese surname. It reads as well by the cliff.
25. Iyer: Tamil uses Iyer for a respected person. Other Dravidian languages carry the same word.

5-Letter Last Names Starting with I

Browse through these 55 beautiful 5-letter surnames beginning with I.

1. Ianni: Ianni is the Italian answer to Gianni. It traces back to John, Jehovah is gracious.
2. Ibach: Ibach is an uncommon German surname. It’s built from the words for oak tree and stream.
3. Ibaka: A Central African surname whose meaning stays unsettled. Man and mule have both been suggested.
4. Ibbot: Ibbot is a spelling variant of the English Ibbott. It’s used as a pet form of Isabel.
5. Ibsen: Ibsen is Danish for son of Ib. Ib is the local short form of Jacob.
6. Icard: French speakers took Icard from the Germanic Ichard. That name means brave hedgehog.
7. Ickes: English families treat Ickes as a variant of Hicks. German families carry it too, with no settled meaning.
8. Idell: Old English idle or unused gives this one its sense of uncultivated ground. As a girls’ name it reached 594th in 1914 before dropping out of the records in 1981.
9. Idema: Idema is a Dutch and Frisian patronymic, son of Ide. It’s still common in the Netherlands.
10. Ideus: Ideus is Germanic and genuinely scarce. Roughly 480 people worldwide carry it.
11. Idler: Idler is an Americanized spelling of the German Adler. That name means eagle.
12. Iezzi: Iezzi is Southern Italy’s take on Ghezzi. It describes someone dark haired or dark skinned.
13. Ifill: An Old English word for yew tree sits behind Ifill. A second element adds open country.
14. Ihnat: Ihnat is a rare Ukrainian and Slovak form of the Latin surname Ignatius. No settled meaning has been agreed on.
15. Ihnen: Ihnen is a Frisian German patronymic. It’s taken from a Germanic name read as great powerful.
16. Ihrig: Ihrig is German, from Iring. Its meaning has never been pinned down.
17. Ihrke: Ihrke is built on the Germanic element for elf. It’s understood as son of Aafje.
18. Iiams: Iiams is Anglo-Saxon and rare. It reads as son of Emma.
19. Ijams: Ijams is a rare Americanized spelling of the Old Irish Iams. That name means island.
20. Ikard: Ikard is an Americanized form of Ikerd. That comes from the German Eichert, dwells by the oak.
21. Ikeda: Common in Japan and read as rice paddy near the pond. U.S. birth records list it for one year only, 1981.
22. Ikerd: Ikerd is the English handling of the German Eichert. It named a family living by an oak.
23. Ikner: Ikner is an English variant of the German Eichner. It marked someone who worked oak wood.
24. Iliev: Iliev is Bulgarian for son of Iliya. It’s extremely common in North Macedonia.
25. Illés: Illés is Hungary’s form of Elias. That name means my God is Jehovah.
26. Ilves: Ilves is Estonian for lynx. It’s hugely popular in its home country.
27. Imbry: Old French Amauri stands behind Imbry. Behind that sits the Gothic Amalric, brave ruler.
28. Imlah: Imlah’s meaning is unknown. Roughly 369 people worldwide carry it.
29. Imlay: Imlay is a variant of the Scottish Imlach. It comes from the Gaelic word for marshy land.
30. Imre: Hungary’s form of Emmerich, great and brave ruler. American parents use it sparingly, ranking it 10,074th in 2025.
31. Imrie: A Scottish staple drawn from the Old French forms of Amalric. It only entered U.S. baby-name records in 2018 and sat at 9,095th in 2025.
32. Inaba: Inaba is a Japanese nickname name. It joins kanji for the leaves of the rice plant.
33. Inada: Farmers in Japan gave this name to families working a rice paddy. The word breaks down as rice plant plus field or paddy in Japanese.
34. Inari: Named for the Shinto deity of harvests, with the literal sense carrying rice. Rare but rising in the U.S., up about 113 percent decade on decade to 4,805th in 2025.
35. Inbar: Carried over from the Hebrew feminine given name Inbar, amber. It appeared in U.S. birth records only between 1988 and 2002.
36. Ingle: Ingle is English by way of Old Norse. It points to Ing’s might or Ing’s wolf.
37. Inman: Medieval England used Inman for an innkeeper. It has been on and off U.S. birth records since 1913 and ranked 12,742nd in 2025.
38. Innes: Gaelic river island supplies the root of Innes. A further link ties it to the Scottish Aonghus.
39. Innis: Scottish and Irish Gaelic for a river island. It is the rarest name here in current U.S. births, given to about one baby in 333,333 and ranked 12,743rd in 2025.
40. Inoue: Families settled above a well took this name in Japan. The characters read literally as above the well.
41. Inrig: Inrig is a Scottish name used in Canada. It possibly comes from the place called Inchbrayock.
42. Insch: Insch traces to Scotland. There, the Gaelic word for island supplies the root.
43. Irons: Irons is Scottish for from the lands of Irnys. A second reading gives it dweller by the sands.
44. Irven: A Scottish variant of Irvin meaning green water. It ran in U.S. birth records from 1880 to 1996, best placed at 1,054th in 1921.
45. Irvin: Scottish Irvine and English Irwin both feed this one, which reads as boar friend. No name on the list is falling faster in U.S. use, down about 55 percent on the previous decade of births to 1,937th in 2025.
46. Irwin: Old English Eoforwine, again boar friend. It ranked as high as 245th in 1931 and has drifted down about 35 percent decade on decade, to 6,600th in 2025.
47. Isaac: Taken straight from the given name Isaac, built on the Hebrew word for laughter. It is one of only two names here still inside the U.S. top 100, ranked 47th in 2025.
48. Isaev: Isaev is Russian for son of Isay. That ties back to Isaiah and the salvation of Jehovah.
49. Isles: Isles is Anglo-Saxon. It comes from the Old French word for island.
50. Ivers: Ivers is English and Irish for son of Ivor. That traces to the Old Norse yew tree warrior.
51. Ivory: From the Anglo-Saxon Ivor, with a French reading as from Ivry-la-Bataille. 2025 was its best year yet in U.S. birth records, 378th and still climbing.
52. Iwata: Families near a cliffside rice paddy in Japan carried this name. The characters spell out rice paddy on the cliffs. It is a farming name first, tied to the exact patch of ground a family worked.
53. Izatt: Izatt has Norman and Scottish roots. It probably comes by way of Izzard, admired.
54. Izett: Izett is a rare English surname. No agreed meaning has survived for it.
55. Izumi: A Japanese surname and unisex given name meaning spring or fountain. U.S. use is slowly rising, reaching 5,999th in 2025.

6-Letter Last Names Starting with I

These are 28 of the best 6-letter I surnames.

1. Iacona: Iacona is Southern Italian, from diacono, deacon. It’s possibly a pet form of Giacco as well.
2. Iacono: Iacono is Southern Italian for deacon. It comes from the Greek word for servant.
3. I’Anson: I’Anson is a variant of the Scandinavian Janson. That name means son of Jan.
4. Ibanez: Ibanez is the Anglicized spelling of the Spanish surname Ibáñez. It means son of Ibán.
5. Ibáñez: Ibáñez is Spain’s form of John in patronymic dress. Literally, it reads as son of Ibán.
6. Ibarra: Ibarra is Basque for valley. Specifically, it names a valley with a river running through it.
7. Ibbott: Norman Hildebert is one source for Ibbott. Ibota, a pet form of Isabel, is the other.
8. Ideker: Ideker marks someone of the Ide family. That family name sits on the Germanic root for work.
9. Ignácz: Ignácz is Hungary’s Ignác in surname form. It comes from the Latin Ignatius.
10. Ikeler: Ikeler is an Americanized variant of the German Eichler. It named a family living near the oak tree.
11. Ilagan: Ilagan is a Tagalog nickname name from the Philippines. It means to evade.
12. Ilbert: Ilbert is Norman. It comes from the Old German for battle famous.
13. Imbert: French and Catalan speakers read Imbert as vast brightness. It comes from a Germanic given name.
14. Inches: Inches is Scottish and English. It names either a small parcel of land or another branch of Innes.
15. Ingham: Ingham is Old English for Inga’s homestead. It’s also the name of several English villages.
16. Ingles: Ingles is Spanish for the Englishman. It’s also a variant of Ingle.
17. Inglis: Inglis is Scottish and English. It comes from the Old English word for Englishman.
18. Ingram: Germanic elements for angel and raven meet here. It has been used as a U.S. given name since 1883 and last appeared in the records in 2024.
19. Ingrem: Ingrem is a rare respelling of Ingram. It likely means angel raven again, the same sense as its parent name. One swapped letter is all that separates it from Ingram on paper.
20. Irvine: An English variant of Irwin that Scottish Brythonic reads as green water. Its U.S. given-name run ended in 2006.
21. Irving: Scottish and English usage blends Irvine and Irwin, landing on boar friend or fresh water. It cracked the U.S. top 100 in 1914 and still ranks, 1,783rd in 2025.
22. Isaacs: Isaacs means son of Isaac. That traces to the Hebrew word for laughter.
23. Isdale: Isdale is English, and its meaning stays uncertain. Dale, or valley, is the likeliest thread.
24. Ishida: Ishida is a common Japanese surname. It names a stony rice paddy.
25. Ismail: From the Arabic surname Isma’il, a form of Ishmael, God hears. 2025 was its strongest year in U.S. birth records at 1,065th.
26. Ivanov: Ivanov is Russian and Bulgarian for son of Ivan. It’s another face of John.
27. Ivanow: Ivanow is the Belarusian spelling of Ivanov. It means son of Ivan.
28. Ivanoŭ: A further Belarusian spelling of Ivanow, with the same sense, son of Ivan.

7-Letter Surnames Starting with I

Discover 29 7-letter I last names from around the world.

1. Iafrate: A blend name, mixing the southern Italian pet form of Ianni with frate, brother.
2. Iandoli: A rare southern Italian patronymic, from Iandolo and the Germanic Candolo.
3. Iannone: Italian, joining Iann (John) with a suffix meaning big.
4. Iarussi: An Italian variant of Giarrusso, pairing Ianni with russo, red.
5. Ibrahim: The Arabic form of Abraham and a common surname in Nigeria. U.S. use keeps climbing, and 2025 was its best year on record at 351st.
6. Iddings: English, from the Old Norse Ithunn, built on elements read as to love again.
7. Idleman: An Americanized form of the Jewish Idelman, for someone who does not work.
8. Ierardi: Ierardi is Southern Italy’s form of Gerard, meaning spear brave.
9. Iffland: A German ethnic term, used for someone out of Livonia.
10. Iglesia: Iglesia is the Spanish word for church, and it went to a family living beside one.
11. Ignacio: The Filipino and Spanish form of Ignatius, often linked with fire. Steady rather than fashionable, it has held a place in U.S. birth records since 1886 and ranked 830th in 2025.
12. Ignatov: Russian and Bulgarian for son of Ignat, from Ignatius.
13. Ikehara: Picture a field with a pond, and you have the Japanese sense of Ikehara.
14. Ilacqua: Ianni and l’acqua run together in this Italian name, landing on John of the water.
15. Iliescu: Romanian, from their form of Elias, so son of Ilie.
16. Indongo: A Namibian surname whose meaning is still uncertain.
17. Inghams: Inghams is Old English for Inga’s homesteads.
18. Ingland: Uncommon, and probably Old English for a meadow by a river.
19. Íñiguez: Íñigo, the medieval form of Eneko, is the father’s name here, making this one son of Íñigo in Spanish.
20. Inkster: Scottish, and likely from Old Norse words for a mountain pasture.
21. Ionesco: A Romanian variant of Ionescu, son of Ion.
22. Ionescu: Romanian for son of Ion, from the given name John.
23. Ireland: An ethnic name for someone out of Ireland, literally Irishmen’s land. It entered U.S. birth records in 1993, peaked at 819th in 1998, and has slipped about 38 percent decade on decade to 2,224th in 2025.
24. Isaksen: A Norwegian surname for the son of Isak, their form of Isaac.
25. Ivankov: Ivan takes a Bulgarian ending here, which is how the name comes to mean little Ivan, tracing back to John.
26. Iversen: Norwegian and Danish for son of Iver, pointing at a bowman or warrior. It surfaced in U.S. birth records for a single year, 2020.
27. Iverson: The English spelling of Iversen, read as archer or Ing’s warrior. It’s up about 187 percent decade on decade, to 1,413th in 2025.
28. Iwamoto: A common Japanese surname for a family living at the base of a cliff.
29. Iwasaki: Japanese kanji give this one a rocky cape or rock peninsula.

8-Letter Last Names That Start with I

Here are 36 unique 8-letter surnames beginning with I.

1. Iacovone: Italian, from Iacovo (Jacob) plus a suffix meaning big.
2. Iadarola: Arola is the place tucked into the end of this Italian name, giving Ianni from Arola.
3. Iadevaia: Vaia sits behind the second half, and the Italian reading works out to Ianni from Vaia.
4. Iannelli: A southern Italian patronymic, little Ianni.
5. Iannello: A diminutive of the Italian surname Ianni.
6. Iannetta: The feminine form of the Italian pet name for Ianni, used as a matronymic.
7. Iannotti: An Italian patronymic of Iannotto, back again to John.
8. Iannucci: Italian, from yet another pet form of Ianni.
9. Iannuzzi: A pet form of Ianni turned patronymic, so son of Ianni.
10. Iantosca: Rare, Swiss and Italian, blending Ian with Tosca.
11. Iaquinta: The feminine form of the southern Italian Iaquinto, out of Hyacinthus.
12. Iaquinto: A southern Italian variant of Giacinto, linked to the Greek Hyacinthus.
13. Iavarone: A pet form of Ianni joined to varone, baron.
14. Ibbotson: Son of Hibbs, Hibbs being a pet form of the Norman Hibbert.
15. Icenhour: From the German Eisenhauer, an iron hewer.
16. Icenogle: An uncommon Americanized form of Eisnagel, iron nail.
17. Ichikawa: A well-used Japanese name meaning market river.
18. Igarashi: Fifty storms is the literal Japanese reading of Igarashi.
19. Iglehart: An Americanized Eichelhardt, oak meadow.
20. Iglesias: Iglesias carries the plain Spanish meaning churches.
21. Ignasiak: A Polish surname meaning son of Ignacy.
22. Ignatiev: Russian for son of Ignatiy, from the Latin Ignatius.
23. Ignatius: From the Latin Egnatius, and long associated with fire. It is the list’s comeback story: U.S. use fell from 105 births per million in 1913 to 3 per million in 1982, then climbed back to 59 per million by 2025.
24. Ingesson: The Germanic god Ing stands behind Inge, which Swedish turns into son of Inge.
25. Iordanou: Taken from the Jordan River, whose name means descend or flow down.
26. Ironhawk: An Anglicized Lakota Sioux given name, found in America.
27. Ironside: Scottish and English, describing an iron-clad warrior.
28. Ironwing: The English translation of a Native American surname.
29. Isaacson: Son of Isaac, from the Hebrew for laughter.
30. Isaksson: Isak is Sweden’s spelling of Isaac, so this one reads as son of Isak.
31. Isbester: From the Old Norse Asbjorn, and connected to a house by a waterfall.
32. Isbister: Scottish, on the Old Norse word for farm.
33. Ishikawa: A rocky river or stream is what this Japanese name points to.
34. Ismailov: Isma’il picks up a Slavic ending here, so the name reads as son of Isma’il, and so back to Ishmael.
35. Ismoilov: The Uzbek route to Ishmael, son of Ismoil.
36. Ivarsson: Behind this Swedish name sits Ivar, a yew tree or a warrior, so it comes out as son of Ivar.

Longer Surnames Starting with I

Here are 28 long last names that start with the letter I.

1. Iaccarino: From an Italian pet form of Iacco, itself a version of Jacob.
2. Iacobelli: Rooted in the Italian given name Iacobello.
3. Iacobucci: Italian for son of Iacobus, their Jacob.
4. Iacovelli: An Italian handling of the Hebrew Yaakov, supplanter.
5. Iannaccone: Southern Italian for Big John, an extended form of Ianni.
6. Iannarelli: From a pet form of Ianni or of Gennaro.
7. Ianniello: An Italian diminutive of Ianni, used as a family name.
8. Ibrahimović: Bosnian for son of Ibrahim, the Arabic Abraham.
9. Icenhower: A rare Americanized Eisenhauer, iron hewer.
10. Igleheart: Another Americanized Eichelhardt, oak meadow.
11. Ignatowski: A place name in Lublin, Poland, built on the Polish Ignacy.
12. Ihejirika: West African Igbo for the one that I have is greater.
13. Ihlenfeld: North German, for a family in the meadow near the Ihle River.
14. Ihlenfeldt: A spelling variant of Ihlenfeld, same Ihle River country.
15. Ikenberry: An Americanization of Eichenberg, oak hill.
16. Ingersleben: Taken from a German town, Inge’s village.
17. Ingólfsson: Icelandic for son of Ingólfr, Ing’s wolf.
18. Inksetter: Used in Canada, with a meaning nobody has pinned down.
19. Innerdale: Found in England and Wales, and the exact meaning is uncertain.
20. Innocenti: Foundling homes handed this Italian name to abandoned children alongside Esposito, and it means innocent.
21. Inverarity: A Scottish Gaelic place name, tied to a river mouth.
22. Ioannidis: Ioannis takes the Greek patronymic ending, and the result is son of Ioannis, their equivalent of Johnson.
23. Ironcloud: Lakota Sioux in origin, joining words for cloud and metal.
24. Ironshell: Also written Iron Shell, from Lakota words for shell and metal.
25. İsmayılov: The Azerbaijani form of Ishmael, son of Ismayil.
26. Iturburua: From the Basque irutti, giving by the fountain.
27. Ivanković: Croatian and Serbian for son of Ivan, Jehovah has been gracious.
28. Ixtabalan: Likely built on the Mayan prefix for female, and found in Guatemala and the U.S.

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