Selkirk (surname)
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Language(s) | Scots |
| Meaning | "hall", "manor" + "church" |
| Region of origin | Scotland |
| Other names | |
| Variant form(s) | Sailcirc; Shailcirc |
Selkirk is a Scottish surname. The name is a habitational name, derived from Selkirk, located on the Scottish Borders. The place name is derived from the Middle English elements sale, sele, meaning "hall", "manor"; and kirk, meaning "church".[1] The Scottish Gaelic form of the surname is Sailcirc (masculine),[2] and Shailcirc (feminine).
List of people with the surname
- Alexander Selkirk (1676–1721), a Scottish sailor who spent four years as a castaway when he was marooned on an uninhabited island; he is supposed to be inspiration for Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719)
- Andrew Selkirk (born ?), British archaeologist and magazine editor
- Elisabeth Selkirk (born 1945), American theoretical linguist
- George Selkirk (1908–1987), Canadian baseball player
- J. B. Selkirk (James Brown Selkirk; 1832–1904), Scottish poet and essayist
- Jamie Selkirk (born 1947), New Zealand film editor and producer
- John Selkirk (1782–1843), British songwriter
- Neil Selkirk (born 1947), British-born American photographer
- Patricia Margaret Selkirk (born 1942), Australian plant biologist and ecologist
- Rebecca Selkirk (born 1993), South African chess player
- Russell Selkirk (1905–1993), American politician
- Diane Selkirk (born 1967), Canadian journalist
References
- ^ "Learn about the family history of your surname". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 21 September 2010. which cited Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-508137-4. for the surname "Selkirk".
- ^ Mark, Colin (2006), The Gaelic-English Dictionary, London: Routledge, p. 722, ISBN 0-203-22259-8