Kirk
A masculine name derived from the Old Norse word kirk meaning "church".
Name Census estimates that about 57,262 living Americans carry the first name Kirk. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kirk today is around 56 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kirk births was 1962 (2,558 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kirk. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Although Kirk is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 197 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • Compared to the 1960s, recent registration numbers for Kirk have dropped to less than 5% of what they once were.
People living today
57K
~ 1 in 5,986 Americans
Peak year
1962
2,558 babies that year
Average age
56
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,579
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Kirk
Out of the 68,217 babies given the name Kirk since 1880, 99.7% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Kirk as a male name
- Ranked #2,579 in 2024
- 52 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1962 (2,558 births)
Kirk as a female name
- Ranked #12,642 in 1993
- 6 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1970 (13 births)
Popularity
Kirk: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kirk from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 15 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 22,277 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kirk by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kirk during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kirks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 51 states and territories. California, Michigan, Texas recorded the most babies named Kirk, while Delaware, Vermont, Rhode Island recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 1,246 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kirk
The name Kirk originates from the northern English and Scottish word "kirk" or "cyrce", which derives from the Old English "cirice" and the Greek "kurikon". It means "church" or "lord's house". The name traces its roots back to the 5th century CE, when Christianity spread across the British Isles.
Kirk was initially a surname, referring to people who lived near or worked at a church. Over time, it transitioned into a given name. Some of the earliest recorded instances of Kirk as a first name date back to the 16th century in Scotland and northern England.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Kirk was Kirk White, an English poet born in 1785 and died in 1806. He was known for his romantic poetry and his premature death from tuberculosis at the age of 21.
In the 19th century, Kirk was a relatively uncommon first name, but it gained popularity in the 20th century. One of the most famous people with the name Kirk is Kirk Douglas, the American actor, producer, and author born in 1916 and died in 2020. He was known for his roles in films such as "Spartacus" and "Paths of Glory".
Another notable Kirk was Kirk Franklin, the American gospel musician, born in 1970. He is one of the most successful contemporary gospel artists, with numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.
In the world of sports, Kirk Hinrich, born in 1981, is a former American professional basketball player who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bulls.
Kirk Cameron, born in 1970, is an American actor and evangelist, best known for his role as Mike Seaver on the television sitcom "Growing Pains" in the 1980s.
While these are just a few examples, the name Kirk has been used throughout history by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting its enduring popularity and cultural significance.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kirk
People
Kirk + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kirk as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kirk: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kirk?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 57,262 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kirk going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 5,986 US residents.
Is Kirk a common name?
We classify Kirk as "Uncommon". It ranks above 99.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 68,217 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kirk most popular?
The single biggest year for Kirk was 1962, when 2,558 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kirk is about 56 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kirk a male name?
Yes, 99.7% of people registered as Kirk in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.