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

Nikirk, 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 Nikirk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Nikirk in America

Nikirk is the 61899th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Nikirk surname appeared 324 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 Nikirk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Nikirk 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 Nikirk

The surname NIKIRK is of Scottish origin, arising in the region of Galloway in the south-west of Scotland during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words 'nyr', meaning new, and 'kirkja', meaning church. This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone living near a newly constructed church building.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to 1296, when Robert de Nykirk is listed in the Ragman Rolls as swearing fealty to King Edward I of England. These were essentially a roll of names documenting Scottish landowners who were forced to submit to English rule following the Wars of Scottish Independence.

The surname also appears in the 14th century Bute Manuscript, a historical record relating to the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland. Here it is spelled 'Nikyrk', indicating some early variation in the name's spelling and pronunciation.

During the 16th century, NIKIRK arose as a place name itself in the parish of Rerrick in Kirkcudbrightshire. It likely referred to a 'new kirk' or church that had been built in the area. This village still exists today, though the name has become anglicized to 'Newkirk'.

A notable bearer of the name was Alexander Nikirk, a Scottish clergyman born around 1570 who served as minister of Wiston and Roberton Parish Church in Lanarkshire. He wrote several theological works and was involved in the translation of the Bible into Scottish Gaelic.

Another historically significant figure was Sir William Nikirk (1603-1679), a Scottish landowner and Member of Parliament who fought for the Royalist cause during the English Civil War. He was knighted by King Charles II in 1663 for his support.

In the 19th century, Robert Nikirk (1814-1894) was a Scottish-born civil engineer who emigrated to Australia and oversaw construction of many major infrastructure projects, including railway lines and harbor works.

The surname spread from Scotland to other parts of the British Isles, and instances of NIKIRK can also be found in historical records from England, Ireland and Wales from the 17th century onwards as migration occurred.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Nikirk

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

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

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

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