2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kirbie
A surname likely derived from the Scottish place name Kirkby, meaning "church town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Kirbie. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirbie surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Kirbie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirbie
The surname KIRBIE has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cirice" meaning church and "by" meaning a farmstead or village. The name likely referred to those who lived near a church or were employed by the church.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it is spelled "Kirkebi". This spelling variation highlights the name's connection to church settlements. Another early reference is in the Curia Regis Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1212, where the name appears as "Kyrkeby".
The name KIRBIE is also closely linked to various place names across England, such as Kirkby in Yorkshire, Kirkby in Nottinghamshire, and Kirkby in Lancashire. These place names further reinforce the name's association with church-related settlements.
Notable individuals with the surname KIRBIE throughout history include:
1. John Kirbie (c. 1540 - 1616), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
2. William Kirbie (c. 1570 - 1638), a member of the Virginia Company who played a role in the early colonization of Virginia.
3. Margaret Kirbie (c. 1615 - 1685), an English Quaker who was persecuted for her beliefs and spent time in prison.
4. Thomas Kirbie (1650 - 1723), a prominent merchant and landowner in the American colonies.
5. Joseph Kirbie (1712 - 1779), a British soldier who served in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.
The name KIRBIE has evolved over time, with various spellings such as Kirkby, Kirkeby, and Kirkebie appearing in historical records. These variations reflect the name's connection to different localities and the influence of local dialects on its spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirbie
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirbie bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kirbie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 89
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirbie
Kirbie appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 179 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 179 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kirbie surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #153,769 | #153,590 | 0.1% |
| Count | 106 | 104 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirbie bearers went from 106 to 104 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 179 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #153,590.
FAQ
Kirbie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirbie?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Kirbie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Kirbie?
Kirbie ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Kirbie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kirbie.
Has Kirbie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirbie went from 106 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirbie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirbie, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kirbie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirbie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kirbie (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kirbie mean?
A surname likely derived from the Scottish place name Kirkby, meaning "church town". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kirbie (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Kirbie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.