Kirch History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

The surname Kirch is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Kirch translates as church, and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived in a village with a prominent church.

Early Origins of the Kirch family

The surname Kirch was first found in Cumberland, where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Kirch family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirch research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1258, 1600, 1590, 1597, 1553, 1613, 1644, 1692, 1638, 1638, 1646, 1691, 1681, 1683, 1641, 1692, 1646, 1691, 1650, 1706 and are included under the topic Early Kirch History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirch Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Kirk, Kirkhoe, Kirkaugh, Kirko, Kirkoe and others.

Early Notables of the Kirch family (pre 1700)

Notable among the family at this time was Edward Kirke (1553-1613), English poet ans scholar, a close friend of the poet Spenser; Robert Kirk (1644-1692), a Scottish minister, Gaelic scholar and folklorist from Aberfoyle, Stirling, best known for his "The Secret Commonwealth," a treatise on fairy folklore, witchcraft and ghosts; John Kirke (fl. 1638), English dramatist, author of a popular tragic comedy "The...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Kirch Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirch Ranking

In the United States, the name Kirch is the 17,285^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]

Migration of the Kirch family to Ireland

Some of the Kirch family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirch migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Kirch Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Deisch Kirch, who arrived in New York in 1709 [2]
Georg Kirch, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1747 [2]
Henrich Kirch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1747 [2]
Thomas Kirch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 [2]
Andreas Kirch, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 [2]

Kirch Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Elise Kirch, aged 17, who arrived in New York in 1854 [2]
Peter Kirch, aged 31, who landed in New York in 1854 [2]
John Kirch, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1857 [2]
Jacob Kirch, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 [2]
Jost Kirch, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 [2]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Kirch (post 1700) +

Patrick Vinton Kirch, American archaeologist and Professor Emeritus of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley
Darrell G. Kirch, American physician, President and CEO emeritus of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
Oliver Kirch (b. 1982), retired German footballer who played from 1992 to 2000
Leo Kirch (1926-2011), German media entrepreneur who founded the Kirch Group

The Kirch Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Optimum quod primum
Motto Translation: That is best that is first.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)