Kirkmaiden

Kirkmaiden Scottish Gaelic: Cille M'Eudan
Kirkmaiden Location within Dumfries and Galloway
Population	685 (2001)
OS grid reference	NX1236
Civil parish	Kirkmaiden
Council area	Dumfries and Galloway
Lieutenancy area	Wigtown
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Stranraer
Postcode district	DG9
Dialling code	01776
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Dumfries and Galloway
Scottish Parliament	Galloway and West Dumfries
List of places UK Scotland 54°41′35″N 4°54′40″W / 54.693°N 4.911°W / 54.693; -4.911

Kirkmaiden is a parish in the Rhins of Galloway, the most southerly in Scotland; the present Church of Scotland parish has the same name as and is approximately coterminous with the original pre-Reformation parish.

The parish takes its name from the clachan or hamlet of Kirkmaiden, itself named after the mediaeval St Medan, whose identity, name, sex and origin are all disputed.^[1] The name "Kirkmaiden" itself is thought to be a corruption of a purer Gaelic "Kilmaiden" by either Scandinavians or Angles with a knowledge of Gaelic.^[2]

It is also the area and name of a community council, which meets generally in Drummore and occasionally in Port Logan.