Kirk can mean "church" in general or the Church of Scotland in particular. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it. Basic meaning and etymology As a common noun, kirk is the Scots and Scottish English word for 'church', attested as a noun from the 14th century onwards, but as an element in placenames much earlier. Both words, kirk and church, derive from the Koine Greek κυριακόν (δωμα) (kyriakon (dōma)) meanin… (More on Kirk)