Kurby
A variant of the name Kirby, derived from the Old Norse byrnama meaning "bright stream".
Name Census estimates that about 3 living Americans carry the first name Kurby. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kurby today is around 86 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kurby births was 1951 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kurby. 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
- • The typical person named Kurby is about 86 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Kurbys were born before 1950.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kurby. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
3
~ 1 in 114,251,446 Americans
Peak year
1951
5 babies that year
Average age
86
years old
1951 SSA rank
#4,000
Tracked since 1951
Popularity
Kurby: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kurby 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 Kurby during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kurby
The name Kurby has its roots in the Old Norse language, which was spoken by the Germanic people who inhabited Scandinavia and parts of northern Europe during the Viking age, roughly from the 8th to the 11th centuries. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse words "kur," meaning "cow," and "by," meaning "town" or "village," suggesting a connection to cattle farming or the location of a settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kurby can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives and literary works that provide insights into the lives and customs of the Norse people. In the Saga of Grettir the Strong, written in the 13th century, there is a character named Kurby, who is described as a farmer from the region of Skagafjörður in northern Iceland.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kurby was primarily used in Scandinavian countries and regions with strong Norse influences, such as Iceland, Norway, and parts of the British Isles. One notable bearer of the name was Kurby Hákonarson, a Norwegian chieftain who lived in the 12th century and played a role in the civil wars that plagued Norway during that period.
As the Vikings explored and settled in various parts of Europe, the name Kurby also found its way into other regions. In the 14th century, there was a Kurby von Mecklenburg, a German nobleman and knight who served under the Duke of Mecklenburg. Records from the same period also mention a Kurby Eriksson, a Swedish merchant and landowner who was involved in trade between Sweden and the Hanseatic League.
In more recent times, one of the most famous individuals with the name Kurby was Kurby Parnell, an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox in the early 20th century. Born in 1876 in Mississippi, Parnell had a successful career as a pitcher, winning over 20 games in four different seasons and helping the Red Sox win the World Series in 1912.
Another noteworthy bearer of the name was Kurby Shelley, a British artist and illustrator who lived from 1888 to 1968. Shelley was known for his book illustrations, particularly for works by authors such as H.G. Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle. His distinctive style and attention to detail made him a prominent figure in the world of book illustration during the early 20th century.
People
Kurby + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kurby 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
Kurby: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kurby?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 3 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kurby 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 114,251,446 US residents.
Is Kurby a common name?
We classify Kurby as "Very Rare". It ranks above 4.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kurby most popular?
The single biggest year for Kurby was 1951, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kurby is about 86 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kurby in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kurby a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kurby 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.
Is Kurby still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kurby in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kurby can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Kurby?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Kurby at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.