# Kirk (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kirk/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A habitational surname from Middle English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 54,394 |
| US rank (2010) | 623 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,676 people |
| Change since 2000 | +4.5% (52,056 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /kɜɹk/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Kirke |

## 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”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kirk in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 82% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 11% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.3% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.1% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Kirk in the United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom.

## People named Kirk

- Charlie Kirk, American political activist (1993–2025)
- Justin Kirk, American actor
- Russell Kirk, American political theorist, moralist, historian, social critic, literary critic, and writ
- Erika Kirk, American businesswoman and podcaster (born 1988)
- Mark Kirk, American politician (born 1959)
- Oliver Kirk, American boxer (1884–1960)
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American musician (1935-1977)
- Tommy Kirk, American actor (1941–2021)
- Paul Grattan Kirk Jr., American politician
- Andy Kirk, American jazz saxophonist and tubist, bandleader (1898-1992)
- Ron Kirk, American politician
- Claude R. Kirk, 36th Governor of Florida (1926–2011)

and 13 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Krick, Kruk, Kirsch, Kirksey, Kirch, Krause, Kruse, Kraus, Kersey, Krug, Kress, Krauss.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.