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

Kirov, 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 Kirov surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kirov in America

Kirov is the 107669th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kirov surname appeared 165 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kirov.

The history of the last name Kirov

The surname Kirov has its origins in Russia, and can be traced back to the late 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "kir," meaning "wax," and was likely originally an occupational surname referring to someone who worked with wax, such as a candle maker or beekeeper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kirov can be found in the Vologda census records from 1623, where a certain Grigory Kirov is listed as a resident of the town of Totma. The name is also mentioned in various documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, often in reference to merchants or artisans from the Vologda and Arkhangelsk regions of northern Russia.

A notable early bearer of the name was Semyon Kirov (1886-1934), a prominent Bolshevik revolutionary and a close associate of Vladimir Lenin. He was assassinated in 1934, and the city of Vyatka was renamed Kirov in his honor. Another individual with this surname was the Soviet writer and playwright Alexander Kirov (1899-1977), who was best known for his plays about the Russian Civil War.

In the 19th century, the Kirov surname can be found in various records from the Novgorod and Tver regions of northwestern Russia. For example, a merchant named Ivan Kirov is listed in the Novgorod trade registers from the 1830s. Additionally, a peasant named Yakov Kirov is mentioned in the Tver census records from 1858.

The name Kirov has also been associated with several notable figures in the field of science and engineering. One such individual was Sergey Kirov (1888-1962), a Soviet engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of aviation and rocket technology. Another was the physicist Andrey Kirov (1901-1986), who was involved in the Soviet nuclear program and worked on the design of particle accelerators.

While the surname Kirov is most commonly found in Russia, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, it is important to note that the name is relatively rare outside of its country of origin, and its historical significance is primarily rooted in the Russian context.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kirov

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

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 Kirov 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.

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

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

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