The Burke surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 122,877 people carried this name — #246 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 2,400 people counted. That is up 3% from 119,175 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Burke surname
A topographical surname from Anglo-Norman for someone who lived in a fortified place.
From an Anglo-Norman pronunciation of burg.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Burke» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 357 births for the Burke name in 1890.
They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Connacht. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 15,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 4 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
205 people named Burke live in Switzerland.
They live in 13 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
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 Argentina’s national register
At least 143 people named Burke live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 67 people named Burke live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in West Flanders.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 65 people named Burke.
28 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 14 départements, most often Martinique.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Poland’s population register
50 people named Burke have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 128 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 9 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Pomeranian.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In the Nordic population registers
148 people named Burke are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Burke in American newspapers,
1886–1951.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,118,409 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Burke,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Richard Burke 1758–1794 · politician -
James Burke 1809–1845 · boxer -
Bernard Burke 1814–1892 · jurist -
Patrick E. Burke 1830–1864 · politician -
Nicholas Burke 1837– · musician
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 245 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Burke.
- Burgun 119 · U.S. census
- Burgunder 143 · U.S. census
- Burgy 447 · U.S. census
- Burin 208 · U.S. census
- Burkard 894 · U.S. census
- Burkart 3,056 · U.S. census
- Burkel 539 · U.S. census
- Burkhalter 5,282 · U.S. census
- Burkhard 899 · U.S. census
- Burkhardt 8,707 · U.S. census
- Burkhart 16,526 · U.S. census
- Burki 269 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Burke 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.