Kirke Surname

301,881st
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 1,258 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
Faroe Islands

Kirke Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the kirk,' from residence beside the church; v. Church.

William atte Kirke, Close Rolls, 19 Richard II. Robert atte Kirke. Placitorum in domo capitulari Westmonasteriensi.

Robertus del Kirke, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

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Kirke Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England3741:148,97914,256
United States2721:1,332,57092,890
Australia1701:158,79816,605
Canada1021:361,23132,546
Ireland981:48,0503,523
Denmark461:122,71111,225
New Zealand311:146,07517,002
Scotland281:191,20810,357
Wales261:119,0209,008
Latvia241:85,41912,616
Northern Ireland211:87,8595,745
Faroe Islands191:2,579298
India71:109,580,769786,157
Nigeria71:25,306,108327,793
Chile31:5,872,15852,204
Czechia31:3,544,490144,714
Sweden31:3,282,252190,759
Russia31:48,041,019639,186
France21:33,211,361423,184
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Brazil11:214,074,3321,693,628
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Switzerland11:8,212,915156,297
Spain11:46,752,036156,870
South Korea11:51,240,2568,015
South Africa11:54,177,704343,732
Slovakia11:5,336,450140,422
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Philippines11:101,238,223404,861
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Panama11:3,912,25817,195
Greenland11:56,3791,133
Netherlands11:16,887,176156,465
Moldova11:3,561,36878,271
Malaysia11:29,494,225409,885
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Italy11:61,156,688199,583
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1081:41,0173,721
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England1721:141,71712,742
Scotland311:120,7495,564
Wales21:784,20816,349
Jersey11:51,8823,898
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States1321:380,44528,529

The alternate forms: Kirké (2) are calculated separately.

Kirke (659) may also be a first name.

Kirke Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'at the kirk,' from residence beside the church; v. Church.

William atte Kirke, Close Rolls, 19 Richard II. Robert atte Kirke. Placitorum in domo capitulari Westmonasteriensi.

Robertus del Kirke, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.- , , , Johannes de Kirke, 1379: ibid.

A curious intermediate form between Kirk and Church is found in the Hundred Rolls.

John de la Chirke, Lincolnshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

1547. Married — Guylberte Johnson and Jawbyn Kyrke: St. Michael, Cornhill.

1742. — Alex. Kirk and Elizabeth Hunter: St. George's Chapel, Mayfair.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Of local origin from residence near a kirk. Sir Patrick Kyrk, chaplain of the altar of S. Mary, Perth, 1456 (RAA., II, 107), Andrew Kyrk, witness at Arnbroath, 1459 (ibid., 127), and Alexander Kirk, bailie of St. Andrews, 1520 (Sfodflrt, II, p. 416). James Kirk, charter witness at Inveraray, 1608 (Poltclloch Writs, p. 143). The old Dumfriesshire surname of Kihkhok is now merged in this name.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(N.Eng. and Scandinavian) Dweller by a Church [Old Northern English circe = Old Norse kirkia; from Greek κυριακ-όν] Joan atte Kirke.—Cal. Inq. P.M.

The other a parson of a kirke.—John the Reeve, 904.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Kirk families of British stock are numerous in Ulster and Louth; but in Munster it sometimes occurs as a variant of Quirke, q.v. MIF 202

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(Scottish) Dweller neear a church.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

The northern pronunciation of Church. Many parishes in the northern counties have 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.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A church.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

(Teutonic.) Kirche, a church. Gaelic, cearcall, a circle, the primitive places of worship among the Celts were round, a symbol of eternity, and the existence of the Supreme Being, without beginning or end.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

Kirke Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Kirke Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Kirke (Marathi: िकरके, Russian: Киркэ) is carried by more people in England than any other country or territory. It can also be rendered as a variant: Kirké. For other possible spellings of Kirke click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Kirke? popularity and diffusion

This last name is the 301,881st most frequent family name globally, held by around 1 in 5,792,962 people. The surname is predominantly found in Europe, where 52 percent of Kirke live; 51 percent live in Northern Europe and 43 percent live in British Isles. It is also the 323,427th most commonly occurring given name at a global level. It is borne by 659 people.

It is most prevalent in England, where it is held by 374 people, or 1 in 148,979. In England Kirke is primarily found in: Greater London, where 17 percent live, East Riding of Yorkshire, where 10 percent live and Lincolnshire, where 9 percent live. Not including England this surname occurs in 37 countries. It is also common in The United States, where 22 percent live and Australia, where 14 percent live.

Kirke Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Kirke has changed through the years. In England the number of people carrying the Kirke surname grew 217 percent between 1881 and 2014; in The United States it grew 206 percent between 1880 and 2014; in Ireland it declined 9 percent between 1901 and 2014; in Scotland it declined 10 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Wales it grew 1,300 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Kirke Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those carrying the last name is primarily Catholic (78%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Kirke surname are 17.29% more likely to be registered Republicans than the national average, with 64.06% registered with the political party.

The amount Kirke earn in different countries varies marginally. In United States they earn 14.98% more than the national average, earning $49,612 USD per year and in Canada they earn 14.79% more than the national average, earning $57,032 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Kirké932/
Kirkey911,173/
Kirkie91223/
Kierke912/
Kirkee912/
Kairke911/
Keirke911/
Khirke911/
Kirkke911/
Kuirke910/
Kirk89121,009/
Kirkess8321/
Kirkiey832/
Kirkett832/
Kirkher831/
Kirkehy831/
Kirkeep830/
Kirkeys830/
Kirkeet830/
Kirkeey830/
Kirkees830/
Kairker830/
Kircker830/
Kairkes830/
Kirka80809/
Kreke80675/
Kerke80162/
Kurke80146/
Kirki80119/
Kirck80101/
Kirkz8041/
Kirce8037/
Kiork8025/
Kierk8020/
Kyrke8018/
Kirkh8015/
Kirky8013/
Khirk808/
Kairk803/
Cirke803/
Kirkc802/
Kirkø802/
Kirkk801/
Kirrk801/
Kuirk801/
Keirk800/
Khaireke771/
Quirke736,752/
Kerkez732,126/
Kirkhi731,241/
Krecke73410/
Kirkiç73273/
Kierzk73111/
Kuhrke73105/
Kürker7360/
Keirce7330/
Khairk7328/
Kerkeh7325/
Kerkeš7325/
Kurkey7322/
Kerkey7318/
Kircks7317/
Krekke7312/
Kärker7312/
Kurcke737/
Kurkei737/
Kirkha736/
Kircky736/
Krekey736/
Kirkip736/
Kirkki736/
Kirksh736/
Kirque735/
Kirk's735/
Kirkoy734/
Kurkhe734/
Kåreke734/
Kearke733/
Kirgue732/
Kirkij732/
Kierki732/
Kierka732/
Kairka732/
Kairek732/
Kherke731/
Kierck731/
Kirkay731/
Khurke731/
Qierke731/
Kerkei731/
Kerked731/
Kirkgh731/
Keirki731/
Kirkiś731/
Kirkøy731/
Gkirka731/
Gkirki731/
Cuirke730/
Kurkee730/
Kuirck730/
Kuirks730/
Kerkee730/
Kerk672,998/
Kirkova671,815/
Krek671,467/
Kheirkh67499/
Kyrk67469/
Cirk67316/
Kreg67172/
Khairkh67112/
Kerkeha67101/
Kärk6793/
Kirc6766/
Kirková6752/
Kerkett6743/
Chirkhe6741/
Kirchey6739/
Kerkhey6733/
Kierzka6725/
Kyrkher6719/
Kerkech6713/
Kirg6710/
Kerketh6710/
Kirkaya676/
Kuhrcke675/
Khairki675/
Kurkhej674/
Kerkesh673/
Gkiorki672/
Khairka672/
Keireck671/
Kesrker671/
Khirche671/
Qirk671/
Kirkhay671/
Kiercki671/
Kairkih671/
Gkirgki671/
Gkirkis671/
Kirx671/
Keirche671/
Kearkey670/
Kierzck670/

Kirke Name Transliterations

TransliterationICU LatinPercentage of Incidence
Kirke in the Marathi language
िकरकेikarake-
Kirke in the Russian language
Киркэkirke-

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Kirke
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis