2000
#577
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,473
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.45
Uncommon Last name
Kirby
From the Old Norse byname "Kyrri," meaning "settlement with a church," referring to a person living near a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 59,194 Americans carry the last name Kirby. That puts it at #641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,790 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirby surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kirby with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
59K
1 in 5,790
Census rank
#641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 51,620 bearers of the surname Kirby in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirby, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirby
The surname Kirby is of English origin, deriving from the Old Norse words 'kirkju' meaning church and 'by' meaning a settlement or village. It essentially translates to 'church village' or 'village with a church'. The name is believed to have originated in the 11th century during the Norman conquest of England.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Turchil de Chirkebei in Lincolnshire. This early spelling variation highlights the name's Viking roots and its connection to settlements with churches.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name spread across various regions of England, particularly in areas with strong Norse influence such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The surname was often associated with people who lived near or worked for the local church or monastery.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was John de Kirby, who served as the Lord Chancellor of England under King Edward I from 1292 to 1293. Another prominent figure was Sir John Kirby (1470-1552), a courtier and landowner during the reign of Henry VIII.
During the 17th century, the Kirby family played a significant role in the English Civil War. Sir Richard Kirby (1594-1675) was a Parliamentarian officer who fought against the Royalists, while his son, Sir William Kirby (1622-1691), initially supported the Royalist cause but later switched sides.
In the realm of literature, the name is associated with William Kirby (1759-1850), an English entomologist and naturalist who wrote several influential works on insects and their classification. He is considered one of the founders of modern entomology.
Other notable bearers of the Kirby surname include Sir Walter Kirby (1844-1929), a British civil engineer who designed and built several landmark bridges in Europe and Asia, and Jack Kirby (1917-1994), the iconic American comic book artist and writer who co-created many beloved Marvel characters such as the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Hulk.
The surname Kirby has maintained its presence throughout history, with variations in spelling such as Kerby, Kirbye, and Kyrbee appearing in various records and documents over the centuries. Its origins can be traced back to the early days of the Norman conquest, reflecting the influence of Norse settlers in shaping English culture and language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirby
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirby, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirby bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kirby surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 42,851
- Black or African American8.9% · 4,593
- Two or more races3.9% · 2,035
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 1,483
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 336
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 322
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirby
Kirby appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,767
+1,294 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 18.23
Rank movement Down 56 places
2020
#641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,620
-2,147 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 17.27
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #577 | 52,473 | 19.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #633 | 53,767 | 18.23 | +1,294 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 56 places |
| 2020 | #641 | 51,620 | 17.27 | -2,147 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 8 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kirby surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #633 | #641 | -1.3% |
| Count | 53,767 | 51,620 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 18.23 | 17.27 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirby bearers went from 53,767 to 51,620 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #633 to #641.
FAQ
Kirby surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirby?
Name Census estimates that about 59,194 living Americans carry the surname Kirby. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,790 residents.
How common is Kirby?
Kirby ranks #641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 51,620 people with the surname Kirby. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (59,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Kirby.
Has Kirby become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirby went from 53,767 recorded bearers to 51,620. That is a decrease of 2,147 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #633 to #641.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirby?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirby, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kirby in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (42,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirby appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kirby (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kirby mean?
From the Old Norse byname "Kyrri," meaning "settlement with a church," referring to a person living near a church. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kirby (17.27 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Kirby?
Find out how common the surname Kirby is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.