Kirk

Kirk
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. While job-descriptive surnames originally denoted the actual occupation of the namebearer, and later became hereditary. In England the surname development has included: Richard Attekirck (1301, Yorkshire); Adam Ofthenkirke (1308, Suffolk); and Robert de Kirke (1379, Yorkshire). In Scotland the surname is first recorded in 1456, in the Register of the Abbey of Aberbrothoc, where Sir Patrick Kyrk appears as chaplain of the altar of St. Mary in Perth, while Alexander Kirk was bailie of St. Andrews in 1520. A Coat of Arms granted to a Kirk family is a gold crosier, and silver sword saltireways, on a gold chief a green thistle, all on a red shield. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Reginald Attekireke, which was dated 1209, in the "Fines Court Records of Lincolnshire", during the reign of King John, known as "Lackland", 1199 - 1216. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Surnames reference. 2013.

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  • Kirk — ist ein Vorname und Familienname. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Herkunft und Bedeutung 2 Bekannte Namensträger 2.1 Nachname 2.2 Vorname …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Kirk — can mean church in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.Basic meaning and etymologyAs a common noun, kirk is the Scots and Scottish English word for church , attested as a… …   Wikipedia

  • Kirk — hace referencia a: Kirk Douglas, actor de cine estadounidense; Kirk Hammett, guitarrista de Metallica, ex Exodus; Quavas Kirk, futbolista estadounidense; Thomas Kirk, abreviatura como autoridad taxónomica Kirk . G.S. Kirk, filólogo clásico… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Kirk — Kirk, Captain one of the main characters in the television programme ↑Star Trek, whose full name is Captain James T. Kirk. Captain Kirk is a brave, determined man who is in charge of the ↑Starship Enterprise …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • kirk — ► NOUN Scottish & N. English 1) a church. 2) (the Kirk or the Kirk of Scotland) the Church of Scotland. ORIGIN from the same Old English root as CHURCH(Cf. ↑church) …   English terms dictionary

  • kirk — [kʉrk; ] Scot [ kirk] n. [Scot < ME kirke < OE cirice (infl. by ON kirkja): see CHURCH] [Scot. or North Eng.] a church the Kirk the Presbyterian Church of Scotland …   English World dictionary

  • Kirk — (k[ e]rk), n. [Scot.; cf. Icel. kirkja, of Greek origin. See {Church}.] A church or the church, in the various senses of the word; esp., the Church of Scotland as distinguished from other reformed churches, or from the Roman Catholic Church.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Kirk — m Scottish and English: transferred use of the surname, originally a northern English and Scottish local name for someone who lived near a church (from Old Norse kirkja). Recent use has probably been influenced to some extent by the film actor… …   First names dictionary

  • Kirk — Kirk, Kerk englischer Name nordischen Ursprungs, Bedeutung: der bei einer Kirche Wohnende. Namensträger: Kirk Douglas, US amerikanischer Schauspieler …   Deutsch namen

  • kirk — [kə:k US kə:rk] n 1.) a church used in Scotland and Northern England 2.) the Kirk the Church of Scotland …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • kirk — [ kɜrk ] noun count SCOTTISH a church a. the Kirk the Church of Scotland …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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