Buerke last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Buerke

A German surname derived from a place name, possibly relating to a farm or estate.

Buerke, 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 Buerke surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Buerke in America

Buerke is the 110286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Buerke surname appeared 160 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 Buerke.

We can also compare 2010 data for Buerke 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 110286 109915 0.34%
Count 160 149 7.12%
Proportion per 100k 0.05 0.06 -18.18%

The history of the last name Buerke

The surname BUERKE is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Lower Saxony. Its earliest roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is thought to derive from the Old German word "burk," which referred to a fortified structure or a small castle.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum, a medieval manuscript compiled in the 13th century, which documents various land transactions and property records in the region of Westphalia. The name appears in its early spelling variations, such as "Bürke" or "Burken."

During the 13th century, the BUERKE surname is also mentioned in connection with the town of Büren, located in the present-day state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who either lived in or near this town, or perhaps had some connection to the local nobility or landowners.

In the 15th century, there are records of a notable individual named Johannes BUERKE, born around 1420 in the town of Hameln, Lower Saxony. He was a prominent merchant and guild member, and his name appears in various trade documents and guild records from that period.

Another historical figure bearing the BUERKE surname was Henricus BUERKE, a scholar and theologian who lived in the 16th century. Born in 1528 in the city of Münster, Westphalia, he studied at the University of Cologne and later became a professor of theology at the University of Ingolstadt in Bavaria.

In the 17th century, the BUERKE name gained further prominence with the birth of Johann Friedrich BUERKE in 1642 in the town of Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. He was a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge and advisor to several noble families in the region.

Over the centuries, the BUERKE surname has continued to be present in various parts of Germany, with families bearing this name leaving their mark in various fields, including academia, arts, and commerce. However, it is important to note that due to the passage of time and the limitations of historical records, some details about the earliest origins and specific individuals bearing this surname may remain uncertain or subject to further research.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Buerke

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

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 Buerke was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.25% 146
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 4.38% 7
Hispanic Origin 3.75% 6

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 Buerke has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 91.25% 97.32% -6.44%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 4.38% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 3.75% 0.00% 200.00%

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 Buerke was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Buerke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/buerke-surname-popularity/.

"Buerke last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/buerke-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 July, 2025

Buerke last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/buerke-surname-popularity/.

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