Find out how popular the last name Birks is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Birks.

Birks, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Birks surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Birks in America

Birks is the 21184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Birks surname appeared 1,239 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Birks.

We can also compare 2010 data for Birks to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Birks

The surname Birks is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "birce," meaning a birch tree, and was likely initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a prominent birch tree or a grove of birches.

The earliest known record of the name Birks can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where it appears as "Robertus de Birkes." This suggests that the name was already established in the county of Lincolnshire by the late 12th century.

During the medieval period, the surname Birks was also found in other parts of England, particularly in the northern counties. It appeared in various forms, such as Byrkes, Byrks, and Byrkys, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling.

One notable historical figure with the surname Birks was Sir Thomas Birks (c. 1470-1542), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1536 and was known for his philanthropic work, including the founding of a grammar school in his hometown of Manchester.

Another prominent individual was Sir Humphrey Birks (1603-1668), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in the 17th century. He was involved in the English Civil War and supported the Parliamentarian cause.

In the 18th century, the name Birks was associated with the Birks family of Leicestershire, who owned several estates in the county. John Birks (1719-1795) was a notable member of this family and served as the High Sheriff of Leicestershire in 1774.

The surname Birks has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Birks Fell in Cumbria and Birks Knoll in Derbyshire, further reinforcing its connection to the birch tree and the landscape.

In more recent times, the name Birks has produced several notable figures, including John Birks (1920-2020), a Canadian jazz pianist and composer known as the "Father of Cool Jazz," and Sarah Birks (born 1987), a British actress best known for her role in the TV series "Skins."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Birks

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Birks.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Birks was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Birks has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Birks was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Birks, please contact us.

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