The Kirk surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 54,394 people carried this name — #623 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,420 people counted. That is up 4% from 52,056 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Kirk surname
A habitational surname from Middle English.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kirk» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 38 births for the Kirk name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 1,700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 10 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim and Louth.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
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
37 people named Kirk live in Switzerland.
They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
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 28 people named Kirk.
Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 3 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
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
96 people named Kirk are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s
Kirk was found among the farmers of 6 counties.
It was most frequent in Nottinghamshire: 35 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 286. 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 mapPer 10,000 farmers, by county
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, 1880s
Kirk was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.
That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “South of the Forth and the Clyde, especially in the Scottish border counties.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 590 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.
In Scotland’s registers today
Kirk was recorded 78 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 337th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 140. 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
104 families named Kirk, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 608 people lived in those households, 5.8 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 3 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
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
Kirk in American newspapers,
1896–1899.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 10,707 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Kirk in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.
85,036 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kirk. The most, 13,190, date from the 1900s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.3 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kirk.
Who carried it
People named Kirk,
with a public archive behind them.
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Ole Kirk 1788–1876 · farmer -
Thomas Kirk 1828–1898 · writer -
Alexander C. Kirk 1830–1892 · engineer -
John Kirk 1832–1922 · physician -
Ellen Olney Kirk 1842–1928 · writer
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 233 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Kirk,
in the records of 10 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 States5,470 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,824
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 1,146
- Other U.S. records 2,500
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Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Andrew G. KirkBorn 1916 in California. Enlisted 1943 at San Francisco; shoe factory worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery, California.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Fletcher H. R. KirkBorn 1920 in Alabama. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McClellan; farmer from Macon County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Little Texas Cemetery, Tuskegee, Alabama.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Hannah KirkArrived at New York in 1885 aboard the Servia from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 50; matron. From England; bound for Massachusetts.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 5,470 records for Kirk 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia1,893 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 922
- Tasmanian Names Index 287
- Other Australian records 684
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Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record John KirkTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Augusta Jessie, sailing from Portsmouth in 1834. Native of Wakefield, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Edward KirkTransported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Roslyn Castle, sailing from Downs in 1828. Native of Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1844.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Donald Emerson KirkBorn 1908 in 138 Brisbane St, Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1935 in Tasmania, aged 27.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 1,893 records for Kirk in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
Canada469 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 331
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 44
- Other Canadian records 94
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Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record John KirkCame to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Scan, bound for Galt, Ontario; Irish.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Rosemary KirkDied 1960, aged 42; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Wilfred KirkBuried in 1963 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 64.
Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
Showing 3 of 469 records for Kirk in Canada.
Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
United Kingdom187 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 115
- Stirling Council burial records 49
- Other British records 23
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record John KirkDied 1947, aged 65; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Harry KirkWill proved in 1940; of Rhyl, Flint.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Nathl KirkBuried in 1823 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 73.
MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Showing 3 of 187 records for Kirk in the United Kingdom.
Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · 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).
New Zealand104 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 92
- Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 8
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Bede Romual KirkDied 1963, aged 63; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record William Roache KirkDied 1988, aged 63; buried at Tairua Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.
Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: roll of the war dead War record W. KirkNew Zealand Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.
National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
Showing 3 of 104 records for Kirk in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel 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); Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0).
Germany58 records
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Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Otto KirkBorn 1897; from Osnabrück. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 5 December 1918 (Infantry Regiment No. 368).
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) -
Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Ferdinand KirkFrom Hörde. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 21 January 1916 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 57).
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) -
Example: German casualty list, 1918 Casualty list Ernst KirkFrom Selesen. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 11 March 1918; then listed as returned from captivity in the list of 24 August 1918.
Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
Showing 3 of 58 records for Kirk in Germany.
Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).
Netherlands9 records
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
- Dutch population registers 3
- Dutch church registers before 1811 2
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Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Thomas KirkDied 1910 in Rotterdam, aged 26.
Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Lorna Elizabeth KirkMarried in 1945 in Apeldoorn.
Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 9 records for Kirk in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).
France7 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Raymond Rene Charles KirkBorn 1913 in Calais (Pas-de-Calais); died 1987 in Blanzay (Vienne).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Mary Nelly Augustine KirkBorn 1922 in Calais; died 1976 in Coulogne (Pas-de-Calais).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 7 records for Kirk 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).
Ireland1 record
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Edward KirkDied 1832, aged 48; buried at Clontuskert, 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).
Norway1 record
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Example: U.S. census, 1910 Census record Arnthine KirkCensus of 1910: Bogstadveien, Kristiania; seamstress, born 1868 in Hvaløerne.
Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Kirk.
- Kirby 53,767 · U.S. census
- Kirch 1,818 · U.S. census
- Kircher 3,765 · U.S. census
- Kirchhoff 1,851 · U.S. census
- Kirchmann 284 · U.S. census
- Kirchner 10,044 · U.S. census
- Kirkland 30,283 · U.S. census
- Kirkman 6,197 · U.S. census
- Kirkpatrick 26,251 · U.S. census
- Kirksey 5,654 · U.S. census
- Kirkwood 8,227 · U.S. census
- Kirn 1,297 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Kirk 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.