Show ContentsKirkpatrick History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Kirkpatrick surname is derived from one of various place names in Scotland. These place names come from the Old Norse "kirkja" which became "kirk" and means "church." Several churches were dedicated to St. Patrick, and then the place names followed from the church names.

Early Origins of the Kirkpatrick family

The surname Kirkpatrick was first found in Dumfriesshire at Closeburn, a civil parish. The surname was derived from a chapel on a farm in the parish that was once dedicated to Saint Patrick. About 1 km east of Closeburn lies Closeburn Castle, a tower house that was the family seat of the Kirkpatrick family until 1783. The first record of the name is of a Sir Roger de Kirkpatrick (born c. 1280), 3rd cousin and associate of Robert the Bruce, 1st cousin of Sir William Wallace who attested a charter by one of the Bruces in the 14th century.

Early History of the Kirkpatrick family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirkpatrick research. Another 210 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1232, 1296, 1685, 1686, 1695, 1728, 1783 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Kirkpatrick History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirkpatrick Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kilpatrick, Gilpatrick, Patrick, Kirkpatrick and others.

Early Notables of the Kirkpatrick family

Notable amongst bearers of this family name during their early history was

  • Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, 1st Baronet (d. c. 1695) of Closeburn in the County of Dumfries, a Baronetage of Nova Scotia created for him on 26 March 1685; and William, son of William Kirkpatrick of Conhea...
  • John Kirkpatrick (1686-1728), was a Scottish antiquary from Closeburn, Dumfriesshire

Kirkpatrick Ranking

In the United States, the name Kirkpatrick is the 1,125th most popular surname with an estimated 27,357 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Kirkpatrick family to Ireland

Some of the Kirkpatrick family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Canada Kirkpatrick migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kirkpatrick Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Kirkpatrick, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
  • Walter Kirkpatrick, aged 17, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
  • Euphemia Kirkpatrick, aged 50, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
  • Catherine Kirkpatrick, aged 15, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
  • George Kirkpatrick, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Daniel O'Connell" in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Kirkpatrick migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Kirkpatrick Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Robert Kirkpatrick, Scottish convict who was convicted in Dumfries, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 2
  • Mr. William Kirkpatrick, (b. 1822), aged 16, Irish labourer who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 29th December 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1906 3
  • Miss Mary Kirkpatrick who was convicted in Kendal, Cumbria (Westmorland), England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • John Kirkpatrick, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "British Empire" 5
  • John Kirkpatrick, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "British Empire" in 1850 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Kirkpatrick migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Kirkpatrick Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Hugh Kirkpatrick, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 14th October 1860 6
  • Mrs. Kirkpatrick, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Evening Star" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 14th October 1860 6
  • Robert Kirkpatrick, aged 22, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Constance" in 1862
  • William Kirkpatrick, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alexandrina" in 1871
  • Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alexandrina" in 1871
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kirkpatrick (post 1700) +

  • Ted Kirkpatrick (1960-2022), American drummer and songwriter, best known for his work with the American Christian thrash metal band Tourniquet
  • William Huntington Kirkpatrick (1885-1970), American Republican politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 7
  • William Kirkpatrick (1769-1832), American politician, United States Representative from New York
  • Wayne Kirkpatrick (b. 1961), American Grammy Award winning songwriter and musician
  • Ralph Kirkpatrick (1911-1984), American musician, musicologist and harpsichordist
  • Karey Kirkpatrick (b. 1964), American Annie Award winning, Hugo Award nominated screenwriter and director
  • Donald Kirkpatrick, American educator, Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin
  • Christopher Alan "Chris" Kirkpatrick (b. 1971), American singer, dancer, entertainer, and voice actor, founding member of the pop group 'N Sync
  • Ann Kirkpatrick (b. 1950), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona's 1st district (2013)
  • William J. Kirkpatrick (1838-1921), American musician and composer
  • ... (Another 26 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Halifax Explosion
  • Baby Kirkpatrick, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 8
HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. David Kirkpatrick, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 9
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Thomas Larcy Kirkpatrick, American Captain Chaplain Corps from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 10


Suggested Readings for the name Kirkpatrick +

  • The Descendants of Valentine Kirkpatrick by Willett Douglas Kirkpatrick.
  • Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  3. Convict Records Australia. Retrieved on 18th March 2022 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  5. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BRITISH EMPIRE 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850BritishEmpire.htm
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2013, February 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
  9. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  10. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook