Kirch Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Kirch Origin:

England

Origins of Kirch:

The surname Kirch is a geographic surname, which was given to a person who lived near a physical feature like a hill, water source, parish, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that acquired from place-names. They acquired from pre-existing names for towns, hamlets, parishes, or farmlands. Other local names acquired from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire divisions. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the area they were named after. For example, a person who only shifted to another church would be known by the name of their original hamlet, while people who migrated to a different country often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. The name Kirch converts as a church and shows that the original bearer of the name resided in a hamlet with a prominent parish.

Variations:

More common variations are: Keirch, Kirich, Kirche, Kirchu, Kirych, Kircho, Kircha, Kirchi, Kierch, Khirch.

England:

The surname Kirch first appeared in Cumberland, where they held a family seat from very early times and given lands by Duke William of Normandy, their true King, for their great support at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 AD.

Ireland:

Many of the people with surname Kirch had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Individuals with the surname Kirch landed in the United States in two different centuries respectively in the 18th, and 19th. Some of the people with the name Kirch who arrived in the United States in the 18th century included Johan Deisch Kirch, who arrived in New York in 1709. Georg Kirch, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1747. Henrich Kirch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1747. Thomas Kirch, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748. Andreas Kirch, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773.

The following century saw more Kirch surnames arrive. Some of the people with the surname Kirch who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Elise Kirch at the age of 17, arrived in New York in 1854. Peter Kirch at the age of 31, landed in New York in 1854. John Kirch, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1857. Jacob Kirch, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869. Jiost Kirch, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) Division, Pennsylvania in 1874.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Kirch: Germany 4,035; United States 1,998; Brazil 1,065; France 612; Netherlands 137; Argentina 90; Denmark 79; Luxembourg 73; Canada 59; Belgium 52.

Notable People:

Darrell G. Kirch MD is an American surgeon who is president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). He trained as a doctor and neuroscientist, before going on to hold senior executive positions at many medical colleges.

Gottfried Kirch (Kirche, Kirkius) (December 1639 – July 1710) was a German Stargazer and the first ‘Astronomer Royal’ in Berlin and, as such, manager of the nascent Berlin Observatory.

Maria Margarethe Kirch (February 1670–December 1720) was a German Stargazer, and one of the first famous astronomers of her period due to her writings on the conjunction of the sun with Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter in 1709 and 1712 respectively.

Leo Kirch ( October 1926–July 2011) was a German media businessman who founded the Kirch Group.

Oliver Kirch (born August 1982) is a German football player who plays for German club SC Paderborn 07 of the Bundesliga. He played as a midfielder for BVB and can deploy as either a defensive midfielder or right wing-back. In defense, he can play as a right full-back

Patrick Vinton Kirch is an archaeologist who studies Oceanic and Polynesian prehistory. He is a Professor of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. He also serves as Curator of Oceanic Archaeology in the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology and was director of that Museum from 1999 to 2002. He widely released: many articles and nine books. He is known for his belief that practitioners of archaeology, historical linguistics, human genetic studies, ethnology, and archival historical research can work together to give a fuller picture of the past than any discipline alone could do. In the year 1997, Kirch was awarded the John J. Carty Award from the National Academy of Sciences.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Ar. a stag saliant gu. armed or. Crest—A talbot’s head sa. collared and lined gu.
2) Ar. a stag saliant ppr. armed or. Crest—On a pillar ar. a heart gu.