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

Kirkman, 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 Kirkman surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirkman in America

Kirkman is the 5611th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirkman surname appeared 6,197 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Kirkman.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kirkman 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 Kirkman

The surname Kirkman is of English origin, derived from the Old English words 'cirice' meaning church and 'mann' meaning man. It initially referred to someone who lived near a church or worked for the church in some capacity.

The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century, with references found in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273, where it appeared as 'Kyrkeman'. Variations in spelling included Kyrkman, Kerkeman, and Kirckman.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the place name 'Kirkebi' (meaning 'church village' or 'church settlement') is mentioned, which may have been an early source for the surname Kirkman. This place name is believed to have referred to locations in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Kirkman was John Kirkman, a merchant from Yorkshire, who was active in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Robert Kirkman (c. 1500-1572), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Durham.

In the 17th century, Francis Kirkman (1632-1680) was a notable English author and bookseller who published several plays and literary works. He is best known for his collection of plays titled "The Wits, or, Sport upon Sport".

During the 18th century, Thomas Kirkman (1706-1795) was a renowned English mathematician and philosopher. He is credited with formulating the "Kirkman's Schoolgirl Problem", a combinatorial puzzle involving the arrangement of objects into groups.

Another prominent figure was John Kirkman (1804-1877), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in Lancashire, including St. Peter's Church in Burnley and St. Mary's Church in Clitheroe.

Throughout history, the surname Kirkman has been associated with various professions, including clergy, merchants, authors, mathematicians, and architects, reflecting its origins as a name connected to the church and its surrounding community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirkman

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

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 Kirkman 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 Kirkman 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 Kirkman was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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