Kirby

Meaning & origin●(measured from records)

Attested in 1 language in the etymology graph.

Other names spelled this way◐(inferred from the name graph)

Kirby is also recorded as another name, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Spanish surname4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia

  Languages: Spanish, Portuguese

  Also written Kìrbÿ

76 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●(measured from records)

Kirby is also recorded in 4 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, habitational name from any of the numerous places in northern England called Kirby or Kirkby, from Old Norse kirkja ‘church’ + byr ‘settlement’.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, adopted as an English equivalent of Gaelic 6 Garmhaic ‘descendant of Ciarmhac’, a personal name meaning ‘dark son’. Compare Kerwick.

  as a name·Dictionary of American Family Names

• In English, An English placename.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In English, places in N England called Kirby or Kirkby, from ON kirkja church (see Kirk) + byr settlement. Vars.: Kerb(e)y, Kirkby, Kirkebye. Cogn.: Dan.: Kirkeby.

  as a name·A dictionary of surnames

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Notable people with this name●(measured from records)

• Jack Kirbyb. 1917USAmerican comic book artist (1917–1994)
• Bruce Kirbyb. 1925USAmerican actor (1925–2021)
• Michael Kirbyb. 1939AUAustralian jurist and academic
• Bruno Kirbyb. 1949USAmerican actor (1949–2006)
• John Kirbyb. 1963USUnited States Navy rear admiral and Pentagon spokesperson
• Simon Kirbyb. 1964GBBritish politician (born 1964)
• Simone Kirbyb. 1976IEIrish actress
• Luke Kirbyb. 1978CACanadian actor
• Vanessa Kirbyb. 1988GBBritish actress (born 1987)
• Fran Kirbyb. 1993GBEnglish association football player (born 1993)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●(measured from records)

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

Frequently asked questions

What does the name Kirby mean, and where does it come from?

person from Kirby or Kirkby, various northern English places; 'village with a church' Recorded by Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history].

How common is the name Kirby?

In the United States, the national register counted 53,767 people named Kirby in 2010, about 1 in 6.2 thousand residents.

How common is Kirby compared with other names?

In Ireland, Kirby is the 349th most common surname of 73,729 surnames recorded there.

In which country does Kirby have the most bearers?

Mondonomo estimates about 260 thousand people named Kirby in China, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled kirby.

Where is Kirby most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Kirby is densest in St. Vincent & Grenadines — about 1 in 984 people — even though China holds more of our records for it.