boy's name
Kirk
KURK
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 69,836
Northern Ireland
#290
2004 births
Kirk means church, and it is Norse rather than English — the Vikings brought the word to northern England and Scotland, which is why Scots say kirk where English says church. Skirt and shirt arrived by the same double route.
- Kirk is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in 1962, when 2,560 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 63,759 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kirk over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 40 |
| 1890s | 48 |
| 1900s | 68 |
| 1910s | 284 |
| 1920s | 387 |
| 1930s | 584 |
| 1940s | 2,755 |
| 1950s | 16,252 |
| 1960s | 22,275 |
| 1970s | 11,687 |
| 1980s | 7,231 |
| 1990s | 3,966 |
| 2000s | 1,418 |
| 2010s | 924 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 345 |
What Kirk means
Kirk means a church, or someone who lived by one. The Old Norse kirkja is the ordinary word, and the byname located a person rather than describing them.
Where Kirk comes from
Kirk is the Old Norse kirkja, a church — the same word as the English church, but arriving through Scandinavian settlement rather than Old English, which is why the k sounds survive where English softened them. The pattern repeats across northern vocabulary: kirk and church, skirt and shirt, dike and ditch are all Norse-and-English doublets of one root. The byname marked someone living beside a church, and Kirkby and Kirkwall carry the same element.
Kirk in use
Kirk peaked in the United States in 1962, when 2,560 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It charts in two of the seven markets we track — 2568th in the United States on 52 births and 6238th in England and Wales — across 69,836 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1880.
How popular is Kirk?
In 2025, Kirk was given to 52 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Kirk is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kirk
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kirk also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kirk over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kirk in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kirk
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kirk — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kirk
What does the name Kirk mean?
A church — the Old Norse kirkja.
Why do Scots say kirk?
Scandinavian settlement brought the Norse form north, where English softened its own version to church.
Are there other Norse doublets?
Several — skirt and shirt, dike and ditch, kirk and church are all one root arriving twice.
How popular is Kirk?
2568th in the United States, down from a 1962 peak of 2,560 births.
Is Kirk a girl's or a boy's name?
Kirk is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kirk?
Kirk has 1 syllable.
Is Kirk a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kirk currently ranks #2,568 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.