The Burk surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,500 people carried this name — #2,352 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,000 people counted. That is up 3% from 15,048 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Burk surname

Variant of Burke.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Burk» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘de Burgh’.

His entry covers Burke and Burk.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 149 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

67 people named Burk live in Switzerland.

They live in 7 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 21
Bern 10
Aargau 9
Lucerne 9
Basel-Landschaft 8
Basel-Stadt 7
Glarus 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 39 people named Burk.

7 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 7
Bas-Rhin 12
Moselle 9
Paris 5
Meurthe-et-Moselle 4
Oise 1
Pas-de-Calais 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

160 families named Burk, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 807 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 11 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 34
Maryland 26
Virginia 21
North Carolina 17
New York 14
Vermont 13
South Carolina 11
Massachusetts 9
Maine 5
Connecticut 5
New Hampshire 3
Rhode Island 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 232 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Burk in American newspapers,
1919–1922.

Newspaper page from The Lexington Advertiser carrying the name Burk
The Lexington Advertiser 1919-12-12
Newspaper page from The Lynden Tribune carrying the name Burk
The Lynden Tribune 1922-06-22
Newspaper page from The Lynden Tribune carrying the name Burk
The Lynden Tribune 1922-09-14

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 223,044 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Burk in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

4,573 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burk. The most, 1,388, date from the 1890s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,531
Tasmania 1,002
New South Wales 931
Queensland 474
South Australia 353
Western Australia 261
ACT (Canberra) 13
Northern Territory 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burk.

Who carried it

People named Burk,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Harvey William Burk
    Harvey William Burk 1822–1907 · politician
  • Rudolf Burk
    Rudolf Burk 1841–1924 · medical officer
  • Dan L. Burk d. 2024 · legal scholar
  • Philipp David Burk 1714–1770 · pastor
  • John Daly Burk 1775–1808 · historian
  • Thomas Burk 1840–1926

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 8 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Burk,
in the records of 10 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States3,038 records

3,038 records of the Burk name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,093
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 540
  • Other U.S. records 1,405
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Vernon C. Burk

    Born 1926 in Kansas. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Leavenworth; farm hand from Jefferson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Valley Falls Cemetery, Kansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maria Burk

    Arrived at New York in 1884 aboard the City of Rome from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 20; servant. From Galway, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William A. Burk

    Born 1930; from Macoupin County, Illinois. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1952 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 3,038 records for Burk in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany525 records

525 records of the Burk name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 511
  • German emigration and citizenship files 11
  • Other German records 3
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Johannes Burk

    Born 1894; from Holzhausen, Biedenkopf. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 5 January 1917; then reported missing in the list of 19 February 1919.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Friedrich Bürk

    Left Haslach for America in 1877; farmer.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Philipp Joseph Burk

    Left Lohr for Hesse, Nassau in 1852.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Würzburg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 525 records for Burk in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Netherlands389 records

389 records of the Burk name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 178
  • Dutch population registers 176
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 35
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Sara Jacoba Burk

    Married in 1887 in Amsterdam. Died 1893 in Nieuw-Helvoet, aged 30.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Streekarchief Voorne-Putten (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Karel Frederik Burk

    Married in 1822 in Rotterdam. Died 1835 in Rotterdam, aged 57.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Willem Frederik Burk

    Born 1875 in Kralingen. Died 1875 in Kralingen.

    Open Archives, Nationaal Archief Rijksarchief Zuid-Holland (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 389 records for Burk in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Australia292 records

292 records of the Burk name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 128
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 125
  • Other Australian records 39
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Sarah Burk

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Harmony, sailing from Downs in 1828. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Burk

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Heber, arriving 1837; ticket of leave 1841.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Burk

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Marco Polo, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 292 records for Burk in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada190 records

190 records of the Burk name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 165
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 8
  • Other Canadian records 17
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Burk

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Hibernian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Walter David Burk

    Died 1936; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Gwendolyn Burk

    Died 1927; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 190 records for Burk in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France16 records

16 records of the Burk name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Emmy Burk

    Born 1904 in Paris; died 1991 in Metz (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Joseph Burk

    Born 1921 in Schiltigheim (Bas-Rhin); died 1972 in Glageon (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 16 records for Burk in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

United Kingdom12 records

12 records of the Burk name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 11
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Miles Burk

    Buried in 1797 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 28.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Burk

    Cheshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 12 records for Burk in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Burk name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record James Osborne Burk

    Died 1950, aged 49; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Burk in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Burk name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Tobias Burk

    Died 1867, aged 27; buried at Oranmore (Medieval), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Burk in Ireland.

Counts: Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Switzerland2 records

2 records of the Burk name in Switzerland Zürich marriage records, 16th–18th centuries
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Friederike Bürk

    Married in 1789 in Elgg, canton of Zürich; of Tübingen (Deutschland).

    Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Burk in Switzerland.

Counts: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Burk.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Burk is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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