Kirk
A Scottish and northern English surname meaning simply “church,” often from someone who lived by the church.
The #623 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 5,676 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Kirk comes from the northern word for “church,” ultimately from Old Norse kirkja. In northern England and Scotland, this word replaced or coexisted with the southern English form church, so the surname could arise from residence near a church or from a place-name containing Kirk. Some lines may also reflect different local origins, which is why older writers noted several distinct Kirk families.
History
The name is especially common in Scotland and northern England, where kirk was the everyday word for a parish church. It also appears in many place-names, such as Kirk-Newton and Kirk-Oswald, which could generate local surnames. Because of that, the surname may have arisen independently in more than one family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Many English place-names beginning with Kirk are not surnames at all but old parish names built from the same word.
From the historical record
“KIRCALDY. See Kirkcaldy. KIRK. KIRKE. The northern pro- nunciation of Church. Many j^arishes in the northern counties liave this prefix, as Kirk-Heaton, Kirk-Newton, Kirk-Malew, Kirk-Linton, Kirk-Oswald, Kirk-Sandal, &c. There are probably several distinct families of this name. KIRKBRIDE. A parish in Cumber- land.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom