Ironton is a city in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 10,571 at the 2020 census. Located in southernmost Ohio along the Ohio River, it is 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Huntington, West Virginia, within the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area. The city's name is a contraction of "iron town", stemming from its long ties to the iron industry. It also had one of the first professional football teams, the Ironton Tanks.