The Kirby surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 53,767 people carried this name — #633 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,490 people counted. That is up 2% from 52,473 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Kirby surname

A habitational surname from Old English originally for a person from Kirby.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kirby» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Kirkby’.

An early record he cites: Adam de Kyrkeby, Yorkshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Kirkby, Kirby, Kerbey and Kerby.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 455 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 33 births for the Kirby name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,500 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Mayo, Kerry, and Limerick.”

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 17
Connacht 8
Leinster 5
Ulster 3

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

33 people named Kirby live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Bern 7
Vaud 7
Basel-Landschaft 6
Geneva 4
Schwyz 3
Valais 3
Zurich 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 32 people named Kirby.

Most of them — 22 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 22
Pas-de-Calais 3
Isère 2
Paris 2
Calvados 1
Oise 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 28 people named Kirby live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 18
Neuquén 10

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

29 people named Kirby is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 29

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Kirby was found among the farmers of 7 counties.

It was most frequent in Yorkshire, North and East Ridings: 42 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 238. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Yorkshire, North and East Ridings 42
Northamptonshire 25
Buckinghamshire 24
Cambridgeshire 20
Kent 12
Lancashire 8
Lincolnshire 8

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Kirby was recorded 17 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1299th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 12. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

155 families named Kirby, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 869 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 7 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maryland 42
North Carolina 30
Massachusetts 20
New York 16
Virginia 16
South Carolina 10
Connecticut 9
Pennsylvania 8
Rhode Island 2
New Hampshire 1
Vermont 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 248 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Kirby in American newspapers,
1886–1909.

Newspaper page from The Southern Herald carrying the name Kirby
The Southern Herald 1886-09-04
Newspaper page from The Harlowton News carrying the name Kirby
The Harlowton News 1909-07-02
Newspaper page from People And Patriot carrying the name Kirby
People And Patriot 1886-10-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 5,492 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kirby in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

106,266 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kirby. The most, 16,119, date from the 1910s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 44,456
Victoria 25,774
Queensland 14,154
South Australia 9,698
Western Australia 6,716
Tasmania 3,996
ACT (Canberra) 1,284
Northern Territory 73

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kirby.

Who carried it

People named Kirby,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Kirby d. 2026 · actor
  • Edward Charles Kirby d. 1883 · businessperson
  • Samuel Kirby d. 1854 · banker
  • James Kirby d. 2024 · humanitarian
  • William Kirby d. 1900 · silversmith
  • Emily Kirby d. 1862

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kirby,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States5,592 records

5,592 records of the Kirby name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,949
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,142
  • Other U.S. records 2,501
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Steven Kirby

    Born 1948; from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ruth F. Kirby

    Born 1919 in Washington. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Spokane; social worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Annie E. Kirby

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 47; housekeeper. From Dublin, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 5,592 records for Kirby in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,176 records

2,176 records of the Kirby name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,023
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 373
  • Other Australian records 780
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Kirby

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Majestic, sailing from London in 1838. Native of Liverpool, Lancashire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842. Married 1842 in Avoca, Tasmania, aged 26.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Kirby

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Mount Stewart Elphinstone, sailing from Gibraltar in 1848. Native of Spalding, Lincolnshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849. Married 1849 in Hobart, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record George Kirby

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Red Rover, sailing from Portsmouth in 1830. Native of Waltham Abbey, Essex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,176 records for Kirby in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada450 records

450 records of the Kirby name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 297
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 44
  • Other Canadian records 109
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Walter Norman Kirby

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 41.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Frank Kirby

    Buried in 1991 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 63.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas Kirby

    Came to Ontario in 1873 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Gilford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.

Showing 3 of 450 records for Kirby in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom99 records

99 records of the Kirby name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 73
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 25
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Kirby

    Buried in 1851 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 29.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Henry Hllrston Kirby

    Will proved in 1923; of Deganwy, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. R. Kirby

    Machine Gun Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 99 records for Kirby in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand45 records

45 records of the Kirby name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 30
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 12
  • Other New Zealand records 3
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Timothy Joseph Kirby

    Died 1972, aged 84; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gwendoline Edith Kirby

    Died 2001, aged 72; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Edward Kirby

    Born 1908, died 1988; ashes interred at Rangiora Lawn Cemetery, Canterbury.

    Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 45 records for Kirby in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France8 records

8 records of the Kirby name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Allen Leslie Kirby

    Born 1951 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Saint-Herblain (Loire-Atlantique).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William Marcel Frederic Kirby

    Born 1909 in Paris; died 1992 in Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 8 records for Kirby in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands5 records

5 records of the Kirby name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Percival Edward Kirby

    Married in 1946 in Nijmegen; farmer.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Martin Kirby

    Died 1908 in Kerkrade, aged 60; "pater".

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Kerkrade (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Kirby in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Kirby name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Kirby

    Died 1955, aged 96; buried at Dunmore, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kirby.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kirby is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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