as a First Name
Biblical name (meaning ‘watchful’ in Hebrew), borne by a character mentioned very briefly in the Bible, one of the chief officers of King David (2 Samuel 20:26). It was taken up by the Puritans in the 17th century, and is still occasionally used, mainly in the United States. It was famously borne by the lyricist Ira Gershwin (1896–1983).
| 899th in the U.S. for 2011 |
Nicknames & variations
Quick facts
- Tens of Thousands
- of people in the U.S have this name
- 39,545
- to be exact (as of February 2011)
- 43,347
- if you include dead people (since the government started keeping track)
- West Virginia
- has the most people named Ira per capita
- 1915
- marked the height of its popularity
3%
97%
62%
55+
55+
31%
30-54
30-54
5%
13-29
13-29
3%
0-12
0-12
Top state populations
U.S. Distribution Map
