Find out how popular the last name Kirkley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kirkley.

Kirkley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kirkley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirkley in America

Kirkley is the 13771st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirkley surname appeared 2,197 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Kirkley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kirkley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kirkley

The surname Kirkley is of English origin, derived from an Old English place name that means "church lea" or "church meadow." The first recorded instances of the name date back to the 11th century in counties like Norfolk, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest documented references to the surname Kirkley can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Chircheleie" and "Chirchelai." These entries indicate that the name was already established in specific locations within England.

The name Kirkley is closely associated with the village of Kirkley in Suffolk, which was first mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Cherchelie." This village likely served as the primary source for the surname, with early bearers originating from or residing in this area.

In the 13th century, records show a William de Kirkley who held lands in Norfolk and Suffolk. Another notable early bearer of the name was John Kirkley, a member of the English Parliament who represented Lincolnshire in 1327.

During the 16th century, the surname Kirkley gained prominence through individuals like Sir William Kirkley (c. 1505-1573), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Suffolk. Sir William's son, Edward Kirkley (1546-1613), was a prominent lawyer and served as the Recorder of Ipswich.

Other notable individuals with the surname Kirkley include the English poet and author John Kirkley (1682-1743), known for his satirical works, and Thomas Kirkley (1702-1786), a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker from Nottinghamshire.

In the 19th century, Joseph Kirkley (1811-1885) was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Town Hall in Nottingham and the Charing Cross Hotel in London.

Throughout its history, the surname Kirkley has maintained a strong presence in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. While variations in spelling have occurred over time, the name's connection to the Old English "church lea" has remained consistent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirkley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kirkley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kirkley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kirkley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kirkley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kirkley, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!