Kirk is found as an element in many place names in Scotland, England, and North America. It is derived from kirk, meaning "church". In Scotland, it is sometimes an English translation from a Scots Gaelic form involving cille or eaglais, both words for 'church'. Rarely it is found in Anglicisations of Continental European placenames which originally had Dutch kerk or a related form.
Kirk by itself is the name of two places:
Kirk, Caithness, Highland
Kirk, Colorado, a US town
More usually it is an element in a compound name. The remainder of this article is a list of some of these.
In Scotland
Ashkirk, Scottish Borders
Falkirk
Halkirk, Caithness, Highland
Kirkbuddo, Angus
Kirkburn, Scottish Borders
Kirkcowan, Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkcudbright, Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkconnel, Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkfieldbank, South Lanarkshire
Kirkhill, Highland
Kirkhill, South Lanarkshire
Kirkhope, Scottish Borders
Kirkliston, Edinburgh
Kirkmaiden, Dumfries and Galloway
Kirkmichael, South Ayrshire
Kirkmuirhill, South Lanarkshire
Kirknewton, West Lothian
Kirkoswald, South Ayrshire
Kirkton of Skene, Aberdeenshire, and many other Kirktons, all tiny, and mostly matched with a Castleton or a Milton.
Kirk, Caithness, Highland
Kirkton (various)
Kirkwall, Orkney
Kirkwood, Coatbridge
Kirkwood Estate, East Ayrshire
Kirk Yetholm, Scottish Borders
Prestonkirk, East Lothian
Selkirk, Scottish Borders
In certain situations however, apparent instances of Kirk are, in their first element, from the Scots Gaelic word Cathair meaning a seat or fortress.
Kirkcaldy, Fife
Kirkintilloch
In England
Kirk Merrington, County Durham
Kirkbride, Cumbria
Kirkburton, West Yorkshire
Kirkby, Merseyside
Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire
Kirkby-in-Furness, Cumbria
Kirkby Kendal, Cumbria
Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmoreland
Kirkby on Bain], Lincolnshire
Kirkburn, East Yorkshire
Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire
Kirkdale, Merseyside
Kirkdale, North Yorkshire
Kirkham, Cambridgeshire
Kirkham, Lancashire
Kirkham, North Yorkshire
Kirkhamgate, West Yorkshire
Kirkharle, Northumberland
Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
Kirkheaton, Northumberland
Kirkheaton, West Yorkshire
Kirkholt, Lancashire
Kirkland, Allerdale, Cumbria
Kirkland, Copeland, Cumbria
Kirkland, Eden, Cumbria
Kirkland, Lancashire
Kirkleatham, North Yorkshire
Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Kirklevington, Stockton-on-Tees
Kirkley, Suffolk
Kirklington, North Yorkshire
Kirklington, Nottinghamshire
Kirknewton, Northumberland
Kirkoswald, Cumbria
Kirkstall, West Yorkshire
Kirkstead, Lincolnshire
Kirkstone Pass, Cumbria
Ormskirk, Lancashire
Church Kirk, Lancashire
Colkirk, Norfolk
Peakirk, Northamptonshire
Kirkgate, Cambridgeshire
Chadkirk, Cheshire
Romaldkirk, Durham
Felixkirk, North Yorkshire
In France
Dunkirk, Nord-Pas-de-Calais (from Dutch Duinkerke; French Dunkerque)
In North America
Kirkpatrick, Oregon, United States
Newkirk, Oklahoma, United States
Kirkland, Washington, United States
Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, named after Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
