# Kirk (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/kirk/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “fellatio” |
| Pronunciation | /kɜɹk/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Kirke |
| US babies named this | 68,264 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 68,067 / 197 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 423, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From kirk, from Northern Middle English kirke, borrowed from Old Norse kirkja, borrowed from Old English ċiriċe, from Proto-West Germanic *kirikā, borrowed from Koine Greek κῡρῐᾰκόν (kūrĭăkón), a nominalization of κῡριακός (kūriakós), or from Ancient Greek -ον (-on). Doublet of Church. The sense meaning fellatio as well as the verb are derived from the shooting of Charlie Kirk, as he was shot in the neck (“fellatio”).

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 8 | 5,203 |
| 1968 | 7 | 5,909 |
| 1969 | 9 | 5,241 |
| 1970 | 13 | 4,367 |
| 1971 | 10 | 5,299 |
| 1974 | 10 | 5,545 |
| 1977 | 5 | 10,398 |
| 1978 | 8 | 7,296 |
| 1980 | 8 | 7,759 |
| 1982 | 9 | 7,182 |
| 1983 | 7 | 8,499 |
| 1986 | 7 | 9,033 |
| 1987 | 7 | 9,289 |
| 1988 | 7 | 9,798 |
| 1993 | 6 | 12,642 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 96 | 1,606 |
| 2012 | 97 | 1,610 |
| 2013 | 112 | 1,472 |
| 2014 | 104 | 1,543 |
| 2015 | 92 | 1,698 |
| 2016 | 80 | 1,870 |
| 2017 | 95 | 1,673 |
| 2018 | 70 | 2,060 |
| 2019 | 76 | 1,946 |
| 2020 | 67 | 2,104 |
| 2021 | 67 | 2,147 |
| 2022 | 55 | 2,506 |
| 2023 | 52 | 2,566 |
| 2024 | 52 | 2,584 |
| 2025 | 52 | 2,551 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 9 | 2,126 |
| 2010 | 4 | 3,865 |
| 2011 | 12 | 1,788 |
| 2012 | 10 | 2,117 |
| 2013 | 9 | 2,216 |
| 2014 | 5 | 3,362 |
| 2015 | 15 | 1,586 |
| 2016 | 9 | 2,335 |
| 2017 | 3 | 4,812 |
| 2018 | 4 | 3,959 |
| 2019 | 4 | 3,937 |
| 2020 | 5 | 3,334 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4,001 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4,107 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5,137 |

## People named Kirk

- Kirk Douglas, American actor (1916–2020)
- Kirk Hammett, American guitarist
- Kirk Cameron, American actor
- Kirk Acevedo, American actor
- Kirk Kerkorian, American businessman, investor, and philanthropist (1917–2015)
- Kirk Hinrich, American basketball player (born 1981)
- Kirk Alyn, American actor (1910-1999)
- Kirk Franklin, American gospel musician
- Kirk Baptiste, athletics competitor (1963–2022)
- Kirk Wise, American film director
- Kirk Cousins, American football player (born 1988)
- Kirk Maltby, Canadian ice hockey player

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.