IRVING ASSMUS

Transferred use of the Scottish surname, in origin a local name from a place in the former county of Dumfriesshire, which has the same origin as Irvine. In the case of the songwriter Irving Berlin (1888–1989), the name was adopted: he was of Jewish origin, and was originally called Israel Baline. Irving is now a fairly common given name in North America. Among Jewish bearers, it is generally taken as an English equivalent of Israel.