Quirke — Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: Ó Cuirc
Meaning: 'descendant of Corc' (from corc, heart)
Traditional stronghold: Tipperary
Pronunciation: KWURK; Irish Ó Cuirc: oh KWIRK
History of the Quirke name
Ó Cuirc derives from the old personal name Corc, usually connected with corc ('heart') and famous in Munster tradition through Corc mac Luigthig, legendary founder of the kingship of Cashel. The sept's homeland was in County Tipperary, in the country of Muskerry Quirk (Múscraí Chuirc) near the Glen of Aherlow, and the name has stayed faithful to Tipperary and the adjoining parts of Limerick, Cork and Waterford ever since. It was anglicised early as Quirke or Quirk and the O was rarely restored. Never a name of great lordships, it endured as a solid farming surname of the Golden Vale, later gaining literary fame as the name of John Banville's fictional Dublin pathologist.
Variants: Quirk · O'Quirke
Famous bearers of the name
- Johnny Quirke — Cork hurler who won four consecutive All-Ireland titles from 1941 to 1944.
- Pauline Quirke — English actress best known for the sitcom Birds of a Feather.
- John Shirley-Quirk — Bass-baritone renowned for his interpretations of Britten.
Related names from the same part of Ireland: O'Brien · Ryan · Kennedy · Carroll · Hogan · Tobin · Keating · Egan