The Rourke surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,757 people carried this name — #8,728 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 78,700 people counted. That is up 2% from 3,688 in 2000.

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In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 136 births for the Rourke name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 6,000 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 46 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin, Leitrim, Roscommon, and Wexford.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 77
Connacht 27
Munster 17
Ulster 15

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Rourke in American newspapers,
1909.

Newspaper page from The Crook County Monitor carrying the name Rourke
The Crook County Monitor 1909-04-02
Newspaper page from The Crook County Monitor carrying the name Rourke
The Crook County Monitor 1909-03-05

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 43,473 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Rourke in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

33,456 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rourke. The most, 5,444, date from the 1930s. New South Wales 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 Queensland, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 14,103
Queensland 9,081
Victoria 5,184
Western Australia 3,786
South Australia 491
Tasmania 478
ACT (Canberra) 290
Northern Territory 8

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

Who carried it

People named Rourke,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Raymond F. Rourke
    Raymond F. Rourke 1917–2004 · politician
  • Russell A. Rourke
    Russell A. Rourke 1931–2003 · military officer
  • Andy Rourke
    Andy Rourke 1964–2023 · composer
  • Margaret Rourke 1745–1819

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped — Andy Rourke: luciane gomes, CC BY 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0); the others are in the public domain or CC0 · 51 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Rourke,
in the records of 7 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 States3,888 records

3,888 records of the Rourke name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2,046
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 748
  • Other U.S. records 1,094
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Richard J. Rourke

    Born 1923 in Michigan. Enlisted 1943 at Kalamazoo; driver from Shiawassee County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 2000, buried at St Paul Catholic Church, Owosso, Michigan.

    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 Nellie Rourke

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the City of Rome from Moville, aged 24; servant. From Edinburgh, Scotland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record John Thomas Rourke

    U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1943, died 1987; buried at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 3,888 records for Rourke in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · 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, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0). 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); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia711 records

711 records of the Rourke name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 318
  • Tasmanian Names Index 178
  • Other Australian records 215
  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 Patrick Rourke

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the London, sailing from Kingston in 1850. Native of Galway. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1855.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Miles Rourke

    Died 1899 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 68. Will registered in Tasmania in 1899.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Victor Rourke

    Born 1864 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1922 in Tasmania, aged 57.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 711 records for Rourke in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). 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); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada111 records

111 records of the Rourke name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 80
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 8
  • Other Canadian records 23
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Cath'e Rourke

    Came to Ontario in 1865 aboard the St Davids, landing at Quebec, bound for Paris, Ontario; Irish.

    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 Herbert Rourke

    Buried in 1986 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 63.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Walter Archie Rourke

    Died 1960 in Meaghers Grant, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 111 records for Rourke in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · 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. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom28 records

28 records of the Rourke name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 18
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Rourke

    Buried in 1975 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 90.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Benjamin Rourke

    Buried in 1828 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 20.

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

    Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

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

Showing 3 of 28 records for Rourke in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. 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).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Rourke name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Rourke

    Died 1921 in Rotterdam, aged 41.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register James Rourke

    In the population register of Hellevoetsluis; born 1854 in St. Johns.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Voorne-Putten (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Gerty Rourke

    In the population register of Roermond; born 1878 in Bradford.

    Open Archives, Gemeentearchief Roermond (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Rourke 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 John Matthew Rourke

    Died 1998, aged 95; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kelly John Rourke

    Died 1969; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

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

    Died 1973; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Benjamin Rourke

    Died 1926; buried at Moylough, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Rourke.

When the index is not enough

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