The Kirk surname is English, German, Danish and Scottish with most of the original people carrying the surname from northern England and into Scotland. The Scottish and English term of ‘kirk’ means a church. Variations in spelling Kirk include Kyrk, Kirko, Kirkoe, Kirkhoe and Kirkaugh. In England the northern counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Derbyshire have the most population with the Kirk surname. In Scotland the southern region has many Kirk families, most centered in Lanarkshire, Fife, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire counties. Within the United States many Kirk families originated from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky and California. Famous: Alexander C. Kirk (19th century Scottish engineer), James Thompson Kirk (Civil War colonel from Pennsylvania), John Riley Kirk (football player), Oliver Kirk (professional boxer), Peter Kirk (mill owner and founder of Kirkland, Washington), Tammy Jo Kirk (race car ad motorcycle racer), Robie Kirk (songwriter), Lisa Kirk (actress) and Kristian Kirk (footballer from Denmark).