Kirk

Kirk - A very unique male name

Kirk appeared on the charts for the first time in 1914 on position #1240. In this article you'll learn the history of this name, statistics, see famous people named Kirk and more.
Are you having a baby or looking to learn more about the name Kirk? Our experts and editorial staff have gathered trends and insights for 30,000+ baby names over the last 100 years -- And on this page you will learn everything you ever wanted to know about the name Kirk. The baby boy name Kirk was given to 6 baby boys in 2025, ranking #3646 on the national boy baby name top chart.


With that position 1 in 244,381 baby boys were given this name - making this a very unique male name according to our Popularity Score algorithm. Kirk peaked in popularity 63 years ago in 1963 on position 137.

Famous with this name

How would you rate Kirk, 1-5?

Kirk is currently topping the charts in...

Did you know that popularity can vary a lot between states? Kirk is currently topping the baby name charts in California at position #2,348 - and is the least popular in California at position #2,348.

Why care about state specific baby name charts? It could be that a name that is very popular on the national overall charts is less (or even more) popular where you live. So make sure you check out the state specific charts below and find out how popular or unique Kirk is where you live.

---

Comment and discuss

---

Kirk origin and meaning

Scots and Old Norse

From Scots kirk, 'church,' from Old Norse kirkja

Kirk is the Scots word for a church, used first as a surname for someone who lived by or served a church, then as a given name. It peaked in 1962, helped by actor Kirk Douglas, and has fallen to 6 births in 2025. Douglas, who died in 2020, counts as contemporary under the died-in-2000-or-later rule.

Attested etymology

Kirk is a 4 letter name with 1 syllables.

To see famous people named Kirk, pop culture references for the name Kirk and nicknames & variations - visit Nameberry or Wikipedia.

Similar to Kirk

We've found the following names that sound similar to Kirk, sorted by popularity.

Kris / Krish / Kraig / Kruz / Kross / Karas / Kairos / Khriz / Kreg / Kruze /

---

Name statistics

Most parents-to-be know if they want a popular or unique name, and with these charts and data tables you can easily get a better understanding of how popular or unique this name is.

With a quick glance you can easily tell if this name is increasing or declining in popularity - But note that its current popularity can actually differ a lot from state to state.

Chart position per year (visualized)

Chart position per state (visualized)

Chart position per year (table view)

Chart position per state (table view)

Even more about Kirk

These are some of the common questions you may want to have answered to know if this is the perfect name for your baby.

Is Kirk a common or unique name?

By analyzing the number of births and frequency of this name we've determined that it's currently a very unique male name.

What is the number of syllables for the name Kirk?

1 syllables. Why is this important? One of the things that makes a baby name sound good and have a nice rythm is the number of syllables - and especially the number of syllables along with the syllable count for your last name. A simple rule is to avoid having the same number of syllables in your first, middle and last name.

---

Pronunciation

KURK · /kɜːrk/

Around the world

No traditional forms in other languages — this name was created in America in our own time.

Famous bearers

• Kirk Douglas — American film star of the Golden Age of Hollywood (born Issur Danielovitch, universally known as Kirk Douglas) (1916–2020) Contemporary

Style

SurnameWord name

Why parents choose it

Kirk is a brisk, one-syllable mid-century name with a rugged screen-star echo.

Worth knowing

• Captain Kirk of Star Trek is a fictional namesake many will mention first.
• Reads as a 1960s name; it peaked in 1962.