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KIRK Family History

This is an Anglo-Scottish surname which is ultimately of Norwegian pre 7th century origins. Found originally in the north of England and in Scotland, it can be either a topographical name denoting residence near a church, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed in a church. The derivation of the name in both cases is from the Northern Middle English word "kirk", church, from the Old Norse "kirkja". Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages.