Given name & surname · also English
Kirby
“from the church town”·“from the village with the church”
Kirby is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “from the church town” (English) and “from the village with the church” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “from the church town” (English) and “from the village with the church” (German). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with English and German naming traditions.
How it developed
Built from English kirk (“church”) + by (“habitation”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1881. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kirby through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 18,495
- 14,532 boys · 3,963 girls
- Most popular year
- 1984
- 509 babies
- 2025
- 101
- #2,671 for girls · #3,278 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +27%
- Rising
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 48% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 65 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2,671 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 71.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 367 in 1984. It also appeared in 36 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (16). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 13,276 as a first name in 2020; 51,620 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kirby’s family of names
Kirby has a related form in Kerby. Kirby has a related form in Kirbie. Kirby has a related form in Kirbi.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 13
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Kerbyvariant · English
- Kerbievariant
- Kerbivariant
- Kirbeevariant
- Kirbievariant
- Kirbivariant
- Kirbyelikely variant
- Kirbbylikely variant
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People named Kirby
- Kirby Howell-BaptisteBritish actressborn 1987
- Kirby Bliss BlantonAmerican actressborn 1990
- Kirby MorrowCanadian actor (1973–2020)
- Kirby PuckettAmerican baseball player (1960–2006)
- Kirby GrantAmerican film and television actor (1911-1985)
- Kirby DachCanadian ice hockey playerborn 2001
- Kirby ChamblissAmerican air racerborn 1959
- Kirby DickAmerican film director, producer and screenwriterborn 1952
- Kirby YatesAmerican baseball player (born 1987)
Characters named Kirby: Kirby Reed (the Scream franchise).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Appears in
Similar names
If you love Kirby, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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26% boys · 74% girls
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39% boys · 61% girls