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Irish surname

Kirby: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

Mac Geirble; Ó Ciarmhaic / Ó Ciarba; Ó Coirbín (several distinct names) · 'son of Geirble' (Mac Geirble); 'descendant of Ciarmhac', black-son (Ó Ciarmhaic); 'descendant of Coirbín' (Ó Coirbín)

Woulfe (1923) gives Kirby as the anglicised form of several distinct Irish names. Mac Geirble was 'an old Mayo family from whom the townland of Carrowkeribly, in the parish of Attymas, is so called'; the name 'is still extant in Co. Mayo, but always anglicised Kirby.' Ó Ciarmhaic, 'descendant of Ciarmhac' (black-son), were 'an ancient family in East Limerick, who were chiefs of Eoghanacht Aine, the district lying around Knockany, until after the Anglo-Norman invasion'; Woulfe says the name 'has long been corrupted in the spoken language of Limerick and Kerry' to Ó Ciarba. A fourth Woulfe headword is Ó Coirbín, a variant of Ó Corbáin, under which Woulfe prints (Corbett, Kirby) in brackets.

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Coat of arms associated with the Kirby surname
Irish formMac Geirble; Ó Ciarmhaic / Ó Ciarba; Ó Coirbín (several distinct names)
Meaning'son of Geirble' (Mac Geirble); 'descendant of Ciarmhac', black-son (Ó Ciarmhaic); 'descendant of Coirbín' (Ó Coirbín)
CountiesMayo, Limerick, Kerry, Kilkenny
Other spellings3
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Kirby crest gifts

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Origin of the Kirby name

Mac Geirble: 'an old Mayo family from whom the townland of Carrowkeribly, in the parish of Attymas, is so called', 'always anglicised Kirby.' Ó Ciarmhaic: 'an ancient family in East Limerick, who were chiefs of Eoghanacht Aine, the district lying around Knockany, until after the Anglo-Norman invasion, and are still numerous not only in Limerick, but throughout Munster.' Woulfe adds that the Four Masters (A.D. 1087) show 'another family of the same name in Leinster, doubtless that now represented by Kerwick in Co. Kilkenny.'[1][3]

  1. 1087Four Masters: Conall Ua Ciarmhaic among the Leinstermen slain at the battle of Rath-Edair.[6]
  2. 1115Four Masters: 'Muircheartach Ua Ciarmhaic, lord of Aine... were slain.'[7]
  3. 1123Four Masters: a house taken by force from 'the son of Cearbhall Ua Ciarmhaic, lord of Aine-Cliach', at Imleach.[8]
  4. 1890Matheson: Kirby 33 births in Ireland (Munster 17, Connaught 8, Leinster 5, Ulster 3).[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. MayoMac Geirble: 'an old Mayo family from whom the townland of Carrowkeribly... is so called'; 'always anglicised Kirby'; a principal county in 1890.[1][5]
Co. LimerickÓ Ciarmhaic, chiefs of Eoghanacht Aine around Knockany; 'still numerous'; a principal county in 1890.[3][5]
Co. KerryÓ Ciarba: 'a corruption, in Limerick and Kerry, of Ó Ciarmhaic'; a principal county in 1890.[2][5]
Co. KilkennyWoulfe: the Four Masters (A.D. 1087) show 'another family of the same name in Leinster, doubtless that now represented by Kerwick in Co. Kilkenny.'[3][6]

Other spellings

Kerwick · O Kerby · M'Keribly[3]

The Kirby coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Kirby surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Kirby surname: questions

What does the surname Kirby mean?

It depends which family. Woulfe gives 'son of Geirble' for the Mayo family (Mac Geirble), 'descendant of Ciarmhac' (black-son) for the East Limerick family (Ó Ciarmhaic), and 'descendant of Coirbín' for a fourth headword, Ó Coirbín, under which he prints (Corbett, Kirby) in brackets.[1][3][4]

Is Kirby an Irish name?

Woulfe gives it as the anglicised form of several distinct Gaelic names: Mac Geirble in Mayo, Ó Ciarmhaic / Ó Ciarba in Limerick and Kerry, and Ó Coirbín. No source opened here states an independent English origin for Kirby.[1][2][3][4]

Where in Ireland is the Kirby name from?

Matheson's 1890 births index gives 33 births in Ireland, principally found in Mayo, Kerry and Limerick. Woulfe places Mac Geirble in Mayo and Ó Ciarmhaic in East Limerick, and calls Ó Ciarba 'a corruption, in Limerick and Kerry, of Ó Ciarmhaic.'[5][1][2][3]

Are Kirby and Kerwick the same name?

Woulfe lists Kerwick among the forms of Ó Ciarmhaic, the East Limerick family that also gives Kirby; he adds that the Four Masters (A.D. 1087) show 'another family of the same name in Leinster, doubtless that now represented by Kerwick in Co. Kilkenny.'[3]

Sources

  1. Mac Geirble — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/macg/mac-geirble.php
  2. Ó Ciarba — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-ciarba.php
  3. Ó Ciarmhaic — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-ciarmhaic.php
  4. Ó Coirbín — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/oc/o-coirbin.php
  5. Kirby — Birth Indexes of 1890 — Special Report on Surnames in Ireland (Robert E. Matheson, 1909), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/matheson/report/births/kirby.php
  6. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text019.html
  7. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text022.html
  8. Annals of the Four Masters (trans. John O'Donovan) — CELT edition, CELT, University College Cork. celt.ucc.ie/published/T100005B/text023.html

Note: Matheson's 1890 figures for a surname include its spelling varieties (Matheson, Table Explanation).