350 Cool Last Names That Start With I (With Meanings You’ll Love)

Have you ever met someone with a name like Iglesias or Ishikawa? It sounds special, right? Last names that start with I are not very common. That is why people remember them.

This guide is for everyone. Maybe you are a writer. Maybe you want a name for a story. Maybe you are tracing your family tree. Either way, you are in the right place.

Here you will find 350 surnames. Each one has a meaning and an origin. We will also share tips and short stories. By the end, you will know how to pick, pronounce, and trace these names.

Rare and Among Last Names That Start With I

These names are not very common. Many come from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Northern Europe. Some are short. Some are long. All of them are fresh.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Ibsen	Son of Ib	Norwegian
Ilves	Lynx (a wild cat)	Finnish
Ilyin	Son of Ilya	Russian
Imhoff	Estate or courtyard	German
Imre	Form of Emeric, “ruler of home”	Hungarian
Isakov	Son of Isak	Russian
Isaev	Son of Isaiah	Russian
Iskra	Spark	Slavic
Itkin	Family of Itka	Jewish
Ilyas	Form of Elijah	Arabic
Ignatov	Son of Ignat	Russian
Ingvarsson	Son of Ingvar	Icelandic
Ingebrigtsen	Son of Ingebrigt	Norwegian
Iwanicki	From a place named Iwanki	Polish
Iakovou	Son of Jacob	Greek
Ivarsson	Son of Ivar	Swedish
Iyengar	Name of a Brahmin community	Indian (Tamil)
Iliescu	Son of Ilie	Romanian
Ivashkin	Little Ivan	Russian
Imanov	Son of Iman	Azerbaijani
Iosif	God will add	Romanian
Ikonomou	Manager or steward	Greek
Igwe	Sky or heaven	Igbo (Nigerian)
Ikenna	Father’s power	Igbo (Nigerian)
Iosifov	Son of Iosif	Russian
Ivaniuk	Son of Ivan	Ukrainian
Ivashchenko	Child of Ivan	Ukrainian
Izmaylov	Son of Ismail	Russian
Idzikowski	Descendant of Idzik	Polish
Imbach	Place name	Swiss German
Iwaniuk	Son of Ivan	Ukrainian
Isidore	Gift of Isis	Greek
Iorwerth	Worthy lord	Welsh
Ilvonen	Linked to the lynx	Finnish
Isaković	Son of Isak	Serbia

Famous Athletes Last Names That Start With I

Sports fans know many of these names. Think of goals, slam dunks, and gold medals. A few of these players are global stars. For example, Zlatan Ibrahimović scored in many countries. Allen Iverson changed basketball style. Andrés Iniesta won a World Cup for Spain.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Ibrahimović	Son of Ibrahim	Bosnian/Swedish
Iverson	Son of Iver	Scandinavian
Iniesta	From a town in Spain	Spanish
Inzaghi	Old Italian family name	Italian
Isner	Iron worker	German
Icardi	Possibly from Richard	Italian
Ibaka	Family name from Central Africa	Congolese
Immobile	Still or unmoving	Italian
Iguodala	Family name	Igbo (Nigerian)
Ilgauskas	Long-lived or tall	Lithuanian
Isinbayeva	Family of Isinbay	Russian
Ivanišević	Son of Ivan	Croatian
Ingram	Raven of peace	English
Ionescu	Son of Ion	Romanian
Iwobi	Family name	Igbo (Nigerian)
Inoue	Above the well	Japanese
Iginla	Family name	Yoruba (Nigerian)
Ilyasova	Daughter of Ilyas	Russian
Iturbe	Near the spring	Basque
Ingebrigtsen	Son of Ingebrigt	Norwegian
Iaquinta	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Ivanović	Son of Ivan	Serbian
Ibáñez	Son of Ibán	Spanish
Iannone	God is gracious	Italian
Irvine	Fresh water	Scottish
Ireland	From Ireland	English
Isaksson	Son of Isak	Swedish
Iturraspe	Spring beneath the rock	Basque
Izquierdo	Left-handed	Spanish
Ilic	Son of Ilija	Serbian
Irvin	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Iheanacho	Family name	Igbo (Nigerian)
Ismaily	From the name Ismail	Brazilian/Arabic
Ioannidis	Son of Ioannis	Greek
Ilori	Family name	Yoruba (Nigerian)

Popular Last Names That Start With I

Some names are used by millions. You may know a few already. These are the most common surnames in this group. Ibrahim and Ivanov top the list in many countries.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Ibrahim	Father of many	Arabic
Ivanov	Son of Ivan	Russian
Ingram	Raven of peace	English
Irving	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Ibarra	Valley or meadow	Basque
Iglesias	Churches	Spanish
Ismail	Heard by God	Arabic
Iversen	Son of Iver	Danish
Iqbal	Good fortune	Arabic/Persian
Irwin	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Ilic	Son of Ilija	Serbian
Iyer	Priestly title	Indian
Idris	Interpreter or scholar	Arabic
Iskandar	Defender of mankind	Arabic
Imran	Prosperity or life	Arabic
Isaacs	Son of Isaac	Hebrew
Isaacson	Son of Isaac	English
Ives	Yew wood	English
Innes	From a river island	Scottish
Isbell	Devoted to God	Scottish
Ivanova	Daughter of Ivan	Russian
Iliev	Son of Ilia	Bulgarian
Ibragimov	Son of Ibragim	Russian/Central Asian
Ibáñez	Son of Ibán	Spanish
Ikram	Honor	Arabic
Irfan	Knowledge	Arabic
Ishaq	Form of Isaac	Arabic
Ibrahimi	Of Ibrahim	Afghan/Albanian
Ivić	Son of Ivo	Serbian/Croatian
Iman	Faith	Arabic
Iacob	Form of Jacob	Romanian
Ionescu	Son of Ion	Romanian
Ivers	Archer	Norse
Ismayilov	Son of Ismail	Azerbaijani
Iskakov	Son of Isak	Kazakh

Celebrity and Star Last Names That Start With I

Singers, actors, writers, and business leaders carry these names. Some bring back old movies. Others remind us of songs. Together they show the style of these surnames.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Iglesias	Churches	Spanish
Imbruglia	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Iovine	Young or youthful	Italian
Iger	Hunter or traveler	German
Iacocca	Form of Jacob	Italian
Ishiguro	Black stone	Japanese
Idle	Empty or lazy	English
Irons	Linked to iron	English
Isaak	Form of Isaac	Hebrew
Idol	Image or icon	English
Ifans	Son of Ifan	Welsh
Ifill	From a place name	English
Iannucci	Little John	Italian
Ince	From a place name	English
Irving	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Iman	Faith	Arabic
Ilitch	Son of Ilya	Slavic
Inge	From a short Norse name	English
Ingalls	Descendant of Ingel	English
Ireland	From Ireland	English
Isaacson	Son of Isaac	English
Isherwood	From an English place	English
Ives	Yew wood	English
Iwerks	Family name	German
Izzard	Possibly from Isolde	English
Imperioli	Royal or imperial	Italian
Ickx	Short form of a given name	Belgian
Imus	Family name	American
Ivey	Ivy plant	English
Ignarro	Family name	Italian
Irwin	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Ingram	Raven of peace	English
Inouye	Above the well	Japanese-American
Iturbi	Place of the spring	Spanish
Ionesco	Son of Ion	Romanian

Historic Figures With Last Names That Start With I

History books hold many of these names. They belong to explorers, poets, thinkers, and rulers. Some are over a thousand years old. Ibn Battuta traveled across much of the known world. Henrik Ibsen shaped modern theater. Imhotep served ancient Egypt as a builder and healer

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Ibsen	Son of Ib	Norwegian
Ibn Sina	Son of Sina	Arabic/Persian
Ibn Battuta	Son of Battuta	Arabic
Ibn Khaldun	Son of Khaldun	Arabic
Ibn Rushd	Son of Rushd	Arabic
Ibn al-Haytham	Son of Haytham	Arabic
Ibn Arabi	Son of the Arab	Arabic
Ibn Taymiyyah	Son of Taymiyyah	Arabic
Ibn Hazm	Son of Hazm	Arabic
Ibn Jubayr	Son of Jubayr	Arabic
Ibn Tulun	Son of Tulun	Arabic
Ibn Fadlan	Son of Fadlan	Arabic
Ieyasu	House and peace	Japanese
Imagawa	Now river	Japanese
Ishida	Stone field	Japanese
Ito	Wisteria of Ise	Japanese
Itagaki	Board fence	Japanese
Iwakura	Rock storehouse	Japanese
Iturbide	Fountain path	Basque/Mexican
Iqbal	Good fortune	Persian/Arabic
Iskander	Defender of mankind	Greek/Arabic
Ignatius	Fiery one	Latin
Imhotep	Comes in peace	Ancient Egyptian
Ingres	Family name	French
Ismay	From a given name	English
Inönü	From a place name	Turkish
Iorga	Farmer	Romanian
Ironside	Strong as iron	English
Isaacs	Son of Isaac	Hebrew
Illich	Son of Ilya	Slavic
Inglis	English person	Scottish
Ingersoll	Inger’s hill	English
Iselin	Little iron worker	German
Ibárruri	Valley settlement	Basque
Istrati	Traveler or wanderer	Romanian

Spanish and Basque Last Names That Start With I

Spain gave us many names with the letter I. Most of the longer ones come from the Basque region. In Basque, “iri” means town. “Ibar” means valley. “Itur” means spring. Once you know these word parts, the names are easier to read. To learn more about how these names work, read about Spanish naming customs.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Iglesias	Churches	Spanish
Ibáñez	Son of Ibán	Spanish
Ibarra	Valley or meadow	Basque
Izquierdo	Left-handed	Spanish
Iriarte	Between towns	Basque
Iturbe	Near the spring	Basque
Irigoyen	High town	Basque
Islas	Islands	Spanish
Infante	Royal child or prince	Spanish
Iniesta	From a town in Spain	Spanish
Iturralde	Near the spring	Basque
Irizar	Old town	Basque
Ibargüen	Hilltop meadow	Basque
Iturria	Fountain or spring	Basque
Izaguirre	Open hill or view	Basque
Irazabal	Wide fern field	Basque
Irujo	Place of ferns	Basque
Iparraguirre	Northern slope	Basque
Irureta	Place of three towns	Basque
Iturburu	Head of the spring	Basque
Inzunza	Elevated pasture	Basque
Idiáquez	Noble family name	Spanish
Iribarren	Lower town	Basque
Irastorza	Fern field	Basque
Icaza	Old Basque family name	Basque
Ituarte	Place name between springs	Basque
Iraola	Place of the forge	Basque
Irusta	Basque place name	Basque
Izurieta	Basque place name	Basque
Iñiguez	Son of Iñigo	Spanish
Iriondo	Basque place name	Basque
Iturrioz	Place of springs	Basque
Isasi	Place of thorny shrubs	Basque
Ibarrola	Place in the valley	Basque
Irisarri	New town	Basque

Italian Last Names That Start With I

Italian surnames often begin with “Ia” or “Ie.” These sounds come from old forms of Giacomo (Jacob) and Giovanni (John). Many families in southern Italy share these names. You can read more about this naming style on the page about Italian names.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Iannone	God is gracious	Italian
Iacono	Form of Jacob	Italian
Innocenti	Innocent ones	Italian
Iervolino	Possibly a place name	Italian
Ippolito	Freer of horses	Italian
Inzaghi	Old Italian family name	Italian
Imparato	Learned or educated	Italian
Iannuzzi	God is gracious	Italian
Imperiale	Royal or imperial	Italian
Iuliano	From the name Julian	Italian
Iovine	Young or youthful	Italian
Incorvaia	Sicilian family name	Sicilian
Interlandi	Between lands	Italian
Iacovelli	Little Jacob	Italian
Inzerillo	Sicilian family name	Sicilian
Iafelice	Happy or lucky	Italian
Indelicato	Gentle or delicate	Italian
Iemma	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Immediato	Immediate or direct	Italian
Iorio	Form of George	Italian
Iudica	Judge	Italian
Iacchetti	Little Jacob	Italian
Iannelli	Little John	Italian
Iezzi	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Imbruglia	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Iaquinta	Southern Italian family name	Italian
Icardi	Possibly from Richard	Italian
Iacocca	Form of Jacob	Italian
Ianni	God is gracious	Italian
Iacobucci	Little Jacob	Italian
Iannucci	Little John	Italian
Iaccarino	Form of Jacob	Italian
Isola	Island	Italian
Izzo	Short form of a given name	Italian
Immobile	Still or unmoving	Italian

Japanese Last Names That Start With

Japanese surnames are rich in nature. They often use pictures of rivers, rocks, wells, and fields. Each name is built from kanji, or Japanese characters. Each character has its own meaning. You can learn the basics from this guide to Japanese names.

Here is a fun fact. Ito and Inoue rank among the most common names in Japan. Millions of people share them.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Inoue	Above the well	Japanese
Ishikawa	Stone river	Japanese
Ikeda	Pond rice field	Japanese
Ito	Wisteria of Ise	Japanese
Iwasaki	Rocky cape	Japanese
Ishii	Stone well	Japanese
Imamura	New village	Japanese
Inaba	Rice leaf	Japanese
Ichikawa	Market river	Japanese
Imai	New home	Japanese
Iwata	Rocky rice field	Japanese
Igarashi	Fifty storms	Japanese
Inagaki	Rice fence	Japanese
Iwamoto	Base of the rock	Japanese
Iizuka	Rice mound	Japanese
Ishizaki	Stone cape	Japanese
Ideguchi	Mouth of the well	Japanese
Irie	Bay entrance	Japanese
Iwase	Rocky rapids	Japanese
Ishimoto	Base of the stone	Japanese
Iwakura	Rock storehouse	Japanese
Isogai	Beach valley	Japanese
Itakura	Wooden storehouse	Japanese
Ishihara	Stone field	Japanese
Iida	Rice field	Japanese
Iijima	Rice island	Japanese
Iwai	Rock well	Japanese
Ide	Well	Japanese
Ishibashi	Stone bridge	Japanese
Ichihara	Market field	Japanese
Iwanaga	Rock and eternity	Japanese
Imaizumi	New spring	Japanese
Itagaki	Board fence	Japanese
Ikegami	Top of the pond	Japanese
Ishida	Stone field	Japanese

Arabic and Muslim Last Names That Start With I

Many names in the Arab world start with I. Some come from prophets, such as Ibrahim, Ismail, and Idris. Others describe good qualities, such as honor, kindness, or faith. These names are used from Morocco to Indonesia. To understand the style, see this overview of Arabic names.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Ibrahim	Father of many	Arabic
Ismail	Heard by God	Arabic
Idris	Interpreter or scholar	Arabic
Iqbal	Good fortune	Arabic
Imran	Prosperity or life	Arabic
Irfan	Knowledge	Arabic
Ikram	Honor	Arabic
Ishaq	Form of Isaac	Arabic
Isa	Form of Jesus	Arabic
Ihsan	Kindness or excellence	Arabic
Ikhlas	Sincerity	Arabic
Ilham	Inspiration	Arabic
Imtiaz	Distinction	Arabic/Urdu
Inayat	Care or kindness	Arabic/Urdu
Ishtiaq	Strong longing	Arabic/Urdu
Izzat	Honor or respect	Arabic
Ijaz	Miracle	Arabic
Iftikhar	Pride	Arabic
Irshad	Guidance	Arabic
Ishrat	Joy or delight	Arabic
Islam	Peace or submission	Arabic
Ismat	Purity	Arabic
Imam	Leader	Arabic
Irani	From Iran	Persian
Isfahani	From Isfahan	Persian
Iraqi	From Iraq	Arabic
Idrisi	Of Idris	Arabic
Iyad	Support or strength	Arabic
Idrees	Form of Idris	Arabic
Imami	Follower of the Imam	Arabic
Ismaili	Of Ismail	Arabic
Ibad	Worshippers	Arabic
Ishfaq	Kindness	Arabic
Izhar	Expression or showing	Arabic
Intisar	Victory	Arabic

British and Irish Last Names That Start With I

Next, let’s visit the British Isles. Here, surnames often come from towns, rivers, or old given names. Many Scottish names, like Irvine and Innes, came from land that families once owned.

Last Name	Meaning	Origin
Irwin	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Irvine	Fresh water	Scottish
Irving	Green river or sea friend	Scottish
Ingram	Raven of peace	English
Innes	From a river island	Scottish
Innis	Island	Scottish
Inch	Small island	Scottish
Ives	Yew wood	English
Isbell	Devoted to God	Scottish
Ingles	English person	Scottish
Ingleby	Village of the English	English
Ingleton	From Ingleton town	English
Illingworth	Illa’s enclosure	English
Ibbotson	Son of Ibbot	English
Ibbetson	Son of Ibbot	English
Ireton	From an English village	English
Iliffe	Family name from a place	English
Ievers	Irish form of Ivers	Irish
Isles	From the islands	English/Scottish
Irons	Linked to iron	English
Isaac	He laughs	English/Welsh
Ifor	Lord or archer	Welsh
Ieuan	God is gracious	Welsh
Ilsley	Hild’s clearing	English
Imrie	Form of Emeric	Scottish
Ingold	Ing’s rule	English
Ivory	From a place in France	English
Ivie	Ivy plant	English
Inglis	English person	Scottish
Ingham	Inga’s home	English
Ingersoll	Inger’s hill	English
Ingalls	Descendant of Ingel	English
Inman	Innkeeper	English
Ince	From a place name	English
Ironside	Strong as iron	English

Common Questions About Last Names That Start With I

What is the most common last name that starts with I?

Ibrahim is among the most common. It is used across many countries. Ivanov, Ito, and Inoue are also very popular.

What is a famous last name that starts with I?

Ibrahimović is famous in sports. Iglesias is famous in music. Ibsen is famous in theater. Each has a strong history.

Are Japanese surnames with I common?

Yes, they are. Ito and Inoue are among the most used in Japan. Ishikawa and Ikeda are also well known.

Do Italian surnames start with I?

Yes, they do. Names like Iannone, Iacono, and Ippolito are all Italian. Many come from southern Italy.

Are Hispanic last names with I common?

Some are. Iglesias and Ibáñez are very common. Many Basque names are rarer.

What does “Ibn” mean in a last name?

“Ibn” means “son of” in Arabic. So Ibn Sina means “son of Sina.” It is a classic patronymic form.

Can I use these names for a story or game?

Yes, you can. Just match the name to the culture. Check the meaning first. That keeps your work real.

Final Thoughts on Last Names That Start With I

Now you know how rich last names that start with I can be. They come from Spain, Italy, Japan, Arabia, and beyond. Each name has a meaning. Each name has a story.

You saw 350 surnames in ten tables. You learned how names form. You learned how to pick one. You also learned how to trace your own family history. Use this guide whenever you need a fresh name or a good story.

Which name was your favorite? Maybe it was Ishikawa, with its stone river. Maybe it was Iqbal, with its promise of good fortune. Whichever you pick, wear it with pride.

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