Kerby
Usually a spelling variant of Kirby, a place-based surname meaning “from Kirkby.”
The #7,643 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,058 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kerby is generally treated as a variant spelling of Kirby, a surname from place names such as Kirkby. Those place names come from Old Norse elements meaning “church” and “village/settlement,” so the literal sense is “church settlement.” The spelling with -e- reflects regional and historical variation in writing the name.
History
English records show Kerby as a variant of Kirby/Kirkby, especially in older northern and eastern forms. The surname was later carried to Ireland and North America, where several spellings continued side by side. Some Irish surname books also list Kirby/Kerby as an anglicized form of Gaelic names, so in Ireland the surname may have more than one origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older surname dictionaries, Kerby is often indexed simply as “see Kirby,” showing how closely the two spellings were treated.
From the historical record
“shhe. KERBY. See Kirby. KERDESTON. Kerdiston, a parish in Norfolk, which gave name to the Barons Kerdeston. The family is traced to Roger de K., temp. King John. Ext. Peerage. KERN. 1. Scot. Jiertie, a foot-soldier armed with a dart or a dagger. 2. A beggar. Jamieson. KERNOT. This name is found in Brit-”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom