Kirby Name Origin, Meaning and Family History
Kirby Name Meaning : From Old Norse 'kirkja' meaning church & 'byr' meaning settlement - in other words a village with a church
Name for people from many places in northern England called Kirby or Kirkby. Early records refer to an ecclesiastic by the name of John Kirkby. He frequently acted as keeper of the seal during the reign of Henry 111 & was appointed Bishop of Ely in 1286 - a post he held until his death on 26 March 1290.
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Surname Distribution
Census frequency by county
Name Concentrations Within England and Wales
0
21
43
64
86
107
129
150
171
193
214
236
Buckinghamshire
160
Brecknockshire
3
Cambridgeshire
122
Channel Islands
11
Cheshire
24
Cornwall
1
Cumberland
17
Derbyshire
43
Devon
6
Dorset
3
Durham
70
Essex
127
Glamorgan
11
Gloucestershire
138
Hampshire
78
Herefordshire
1
Hertfordshire
120
Hunts and Rutland
103
Isle of Man
2
Kent
176
Lancashire
614
Leicestershire
257
Lincolnshire
140
London
691
Middlesex
87
Monmouthshire
2
Northumberland
5
Norfolk
137
Northamptonshire
203
Nottinghamshire
20
Oxfordshire
173
Shropshire
11
Suffolk
49
Somerset
14
Surrey
28
Sussex
58
Staffordshire
66
Warwickshire
184
Westmorland
9
Wiltshire
38
Worcestershire
26
Yorkshire
1,189
Anglesey
0
Bedfordshire
0
Berkshire
0
Carnarvonshire
0
Cardiganshire
0
Carmarthenshire
0
Denbighshire
0
Flintshire
0
Merionethshire
0
Montgomeryshire
0
Pembrokeshire
0
Radnorshire
0
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Kirby Surname Statistics
Top Professions for the Kirby family
Profession
Census Frequency
Agricultural Labourer
319
Female Servant
241
Farmer
103
Independent
100
Labourer
89
Male Servant
80
Shoe Maker
44
Tailor
24
Ag Labourer
23
Blacksmith
19
Gardener
17
Silk Weaver
16
Weaver
15
Carpenter
14
Pauper
14
Butcher
14
Ag Lab
14
Brick Maker
13
Painter
13
Apprentice
12
Linen Weaver
12
Mariner
12
Laundress
11
Publican
11
Joiner
11
Most Frequent Forenames for Kirby
Name
Census Frequency
William Kirby
5,165
Mary Kirby
4,685
John Kirby
4,473
Thomas Kirby
3,015
Elizabeth Kirby
2,965
George Kirby
2,520
Sarah Kirby
2,491
James Kirby
2,116
Ann Kirby
1,768
Henry Kirby
1,535
Jane Kirby
1,421
Charles Kirby
1,396
Joseph Kirby
1,252
Alice Kirby
1,211
Ellen Kirby
1,105
Robert Kirby
1,093
Annie Kirby
1,083
Emma Kirby
975
Edward Kirby
967
Eliza Kirby
940
Margaret Kirby
867
Frederick Kirby
838
Richard Kirby
828
Arthur Kirby
813
Alfred Kirby
803
Kirby Surname Variants Ranking
Did you know?
The surname Kirby is the
most popular version of all its varients