Contents [hide]

Kirby History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Kirby History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Kirby comes from the Gaelic-Irish Ó Ciarmhaic, which was anglicized as Kerwick. The Irish name was later corrupted to Ó Cearba, which was Anglicized as Kirby.

Early Origins of the Kirby family

The surname Kirby was first found in Knockany in County Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) located in Southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, where members of the family were chiefs of the Eoghanacht Clan of Munster. The family were descendents of Eoghan, son of King Oilioll Olum.

Early History of the Kirby family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirby research. Another 70 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1690, 1817 and 1906 are included under the topic Early Kirby History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirby Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kirby, Kerwick, O'Kirby and others.

Early Notables of the Kirby family

Prominent amongst the family at this time was

Richard Kirby, who in 1690, wrote about the revolution in Ireland. Two members of the family became distinguished in London
Joshua Kirby, who was president of the Society of Artists in London during the 18th century, and Robert Kirby, who was a publisher in the 19th century. William Kirby (1817-1906), wrote "The Golden Dog...

Kirby World Ranking

In the United States, the name Kirby is the 534^th most popular surname with an estimated 54,714 people with that name. 1 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Kirby is ranked the 400^th most popular surname with an estimated 117 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Kirby is the 541^st popular surname with an estimated 7,160 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Kirby as 374^th with 16,980 people. 4

Kirby migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kirby Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Kirby, who arrived in Lynn, Massachusetts in 1637 5
William Kirby, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1647 5
James Kirby, who settled in Virginia in 1651 along with Humphrey and Alice his wife
Hump Kirby, who landed in Virginia in 1651 5
Ann Kirby, who arrived in Virginia in 1655 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kirby Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Kirby, who settled in Boston in 1767
James Kirby, who landed in Richmond, Va in 1794 5

Kirby Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mary Ann Kirby, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
Cornelius, Mary Ann, and Eliza Kirby, who immigrated to New York in 1811
Eliza Kirby, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 5
Cornelius Kirby, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 5
John Kirby, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1812 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Kirby migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kirby Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Kirby, who settled in Nova Scotia in 1814
Mrs. Kirby, aged 40, Scottish widow who landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia in 1815-1816 with 3 children 5
Thomas Kirby, who immigrated to Saint John, New Brunswick in 1846
William Kirby, who immigrated to New Brunswick in 1847
Mrs. Elizabeth Kirby, aged 48 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Erin's Queen" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 17th September 1847 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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

Mr. Matthew Kirby, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
John Kirby, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Mr. George Henry Kirby, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. John Kirby, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. George Kirby, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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

Miss Kirby, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Deborah" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842 11
John Kirby, aged 24, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bebington" in 1872
James Kirby, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 11
Mr. James Kirby, British settler travelling from London, UK with 1 child aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 11
Johanna Kirby, aged 20, a housemaid, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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. 12

Kirby Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Kirby, who settled in Barbados in 1663 along with Rebecca and Henry

Contemporary Notables of the name Kirby (post 1700) +

Jack Kirby (1917-1994), born Jacob Kurtzberg, American comic book artist, writer and editor, creator of Captain America and Marvel Comics, eponym of the Jack Kirby Awards and Jack Kirby Hall of Fame
Bruno Kirby (1928-2021), born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr., American film and television actor, best known for his roles in City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II, and Donnie Brasco
John Joseph Kirby Jr. (1939-2019), American attorney, best known for his successful defense for Nintendo of the character of Donkey Kong in 1984; Nintendo subsequently named the character Kirby after him
William Fosgate Kirby (1867-1934), American Democratic Party politician, United States Senator from Arkansas (1916 to 1921)
Steve T. Kirby (b. 1952), American politician, the 35th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
George Kirby (1923-1995), American comedian, singer, and actor
Homer Durward Kirby (1911-2000), American television host and announcer, best remembered for his work on The Garry Moore Show in the 1950s, and Candid Camera
Charles Kirk Kirby (1826-1910), American architect in Boston, Massachusetts
Stuart Kirby (b. 1981), American race car driver
Jim Kirby (1884-1971), Scottish-born, American inventor of the Kirby vacuum cleaner
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Kirby family +

Arrow Air Flight 1285

Mr. Thomas James Kirby (1949-1985), American Staff Sergeant from Salem, Virginia, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 13

Halifax Explosion

Mr. James Thomas Kirby (1862-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Mr. Samuel M. Kirby (1867-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Mr. Walter Norman Kirby (1876-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14

HMS Cornwall

Charrington Cecil Kirby (d. 1942), British Lieutenant Surgeon aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 15

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. George E Kirby, British Boy, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 16

HMS Repulse

Mr. Frank Kirby, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 17

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 38)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
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
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html