Kirk (placename element)
Kirk is found as an element in many place names in Scotland, England, and North America. It is derived from kirk, a Nordic-influenced variant of the word "church". In Scotland, it is sometimes an English translation from a Scots Gaelic form involving cille or eaglais, both words for 'church'.[1] Rarely it is found in Anglicisations of Continental European placenames which originally had Dutch kerk or a related form.
List
[edit]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.[2]
In England (by Lieutenancy area)
- County Durham
- Kirk Merrington
- Romaldkirk (formerly North Riding of Yorkshire)
- Cambridge
- Chadkirk, Cheshire
- Cumbria
- Lancashire/ Merseyside
- Kirkdale, Liverpool, Merseyside
- Kirkby, Merseyside
- Kirkham
- Kirkland
- Kirkholt
- Ormskirk
- Church Kirk (meaning church church; a tautology)
- Colkirk, Norfolk
- Peakirk, Northamptonshire
- Nottinghamshire
- Northumberland
- Kirkley, Suffolk
- Lincolnshire
- Yorkshire
- Kirkby Lonsdale, Westmoreland
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