Kirby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The name Kirby came to England with the ancestors of the Kirby family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Kirby family lived at Kirkby in Furness. The name Kirkby means village with a church.

Early Origins of the Kirby family

The surname Kirby was first found in Lancashire. One of the first recorded references to the name was John Kirkby (died 26 March 1290,) an English ecclesiastic and statesman. "John de Kirkeby, [was] Bishop of Ely in 1286, and founder of Ely Palace, Holborn." 1 He acted as keeper of the great seal during the frequent absences of the chancellor, Robert Burnell, during the reign of Henry III. He was Lord Treasurer from January 1284 to his death. On 26 July 1286, he was elected Bishop of Ely, a post he held until his death.

Another John de Kirkby (d. 1352) was Bishop of Carlisle, an Augustinian canon at Carlisle and later prior of the house.

Early History of the Kirby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirby research. Another 128 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1625, 1634, 1649, 1658, 1661, 1681, 1690, 1693, 1702, 1703, 1708, 1709, 1753 and 1816 are included under the topic Early Kirby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirby Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Kirby are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Kirby include Kirkby, Kirby, Kerribly, Kerwick, O'Kerwick and many more.

Early Notables of the Kirby family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Kirby World Ranking

In the United States, the name Kirby is the 534th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Kirby is ranked the 400th most popular surname with an estimated 117 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name Kirby is the 541st popular surname with an estimated 7,160 people with that name. 5 The United Kingdom ranks Kirby as 374th with 16,980 people. 6

Migration of the Kirby family to Ireland

Some of the Kirby family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Kirby migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Kirby, or a variant listed above:

Kirby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Kirby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Kirby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Kirby migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kirby Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Kirby migration to Australia +

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

Kirby Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Kirby 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:

Kirby Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Kirby migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14
Kirby Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Kirby (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Kirby +
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