# Kirkwood (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/kirkwood/  
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 Old English.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | English |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 8,227 |
| US rank (2010) | 4,320 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 37,528 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.1% (7,977 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈkɝkwʊd/, 2 syllables |
| Variant spellings | Kerwood |

## Etymology

From Old English ċiriċe (“church”) + wudu (“wood”), equivalent to kirk + wood.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Kirkwood 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) | 67% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 28% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.0% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Kirkwood in the United States and South Africa.

## People named Kirkwood

- Daniel Kirkwood, American astronomer (1814–1895)
- James Kirkwood, American actor and film director (1875–1963)
- Langley Kirkwood, British actor
- Samuel J. Kirkwood, American politician (1813-1894)
- James Kirkwood, Jr., American playwright, author and actor (1924-1989)
- Kyle Kirkwood, American racing driver
- David Kirkwood, American former modern pentathlete (1935-2012)
- Curt Kirkwood, American musician
- John Gamble Kirkwood, American scientist (1907–1959)

## Similar surnames

Kersten, Karsten, Kerstetter, Karst, Kirst, Kersting, Kracht, Kristoff, Kristensen, Krist, Kirsten.

## 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.