2000
#582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,056
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.30
Uncommon Last name
Kirk
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse word "kirkja," meaning "church," likely referring to someone who lived near a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,560 Americans carry the last name Kirk. That puts it at #649 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirk 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 Kirk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
59K
1 in 5,853
Census rank
#649
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 51,067 bearers of the surname Kirk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 649th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirk
The surname Kirk is of Scottish origin, derived from the Old Norse word 'kirkja' meaning 'church'. It originated in the northern counties of Scotland, particularly in areas with a strong Viking influence during the 8th to 11th centuries.
The name likely referred to someone who lived near a church or worked in a church-related occupation. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was 'Kyrc' in the 12th century. Variations of the spelling included 'Kirke', 'Kyrke', and 'Kerke'.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landholders in England after the Norman Conquest, there are several entries of people with the name 'Kirk' or similar spellings. This suggests the name was already in use in parts of England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kirk was William Kyrc, a landowner in Berwickshire, Scotland, mentioned in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various documents in Scotland, such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where a John Kyrk was mentioned in 1359. During this period, the name was also associated with places like Kirkcudbrightshire and Kirkpatrick in Scotland.
Some notable individuals with the surname Kirk throughout history include:
1. Thomas Kirk (c. 1765-1797), a Scottish explorer and fur trader in North America.
2. John Kirk (1832-1922), a Scottish naturalist and companion of David Livingstone during his explorations in Africa.
3. Thomas Kirk (1828-1898), a Scottish-born botanist and explorer in New Zealand.
4. Norman Kirk (1923-1974), a New Zealand politician and Prime Minister from 1972 to 1974.
5. James Kirk (1779-1859), a Scottish-born merchant and landowner in Canada, known for establishing the town of Kirkmichael.
The surname Kirk has also been associated with various places, such as Kirkton, Kirkcaldy, and Kirkwall in Scotland, reflecting the name's origins and connections to churches and religious establishments.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirk
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirk 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 Kirk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.6% · 40,664
- Black or African American10.6% · 5,421
- Two or more races4.5% · 2,301
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,628
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 698
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 355
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirk
Kirk 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
#623
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 54,394
+2,338 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 18.44
Rank movement Down 41 places
2020
#649
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,067
-3,327 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 17.09
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #582 | 52,056 | 19.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #623 | 54,394 | 18.44 | +2,338 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 41 places |
| 2020 | #649 | 51,067 | 17.09 | -3,327 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 26 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 Kirk 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 | #623 | #649 | -4.2% |
| Count | 54,394 | 51,067 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 18.44 | 17.09 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirk bearers went from 54,394 to 51,067 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #623 to #649.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Kirk
FAQ
Kirk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirk?
Name Census estimates that about 58,560 living Americans carry the surname Kirk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,853 residents.
How common is Kirk?
Kirk ranks #649 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.09 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 51,067 people with the surname Kirk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,560), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.09 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 Kirk.
Has Kirk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirk went from 54,394 recorded bearers to 51,067. That is a decrease of 3,327 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #623 to #649.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirk, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Kirk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.6% (40,664 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.6%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Kirk (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 Kirk mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Old Norse word "kirkja," meaning "church," likely referring to someone who lived 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 Kirk (17.09 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 Kirk?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Kirk at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.