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

Burger, 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 Burger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burger in America

Burger is the 1840th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burger surname appeared 19,480 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Burger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burger 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 Burger

The surname BURGER is of Germanic origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "burger," which means a citizen or an inhabitant of a town or borough. This name can be traced back to the 12th century and was likely first used as an occupational name for someone who lived in a town or borough.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname BURGER can be found in various German-speaking regions, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It is believed that the name first emerged as a distinction for those who lived within the confines of a town or borough, as opposed to those who lived in rural areas.

In the 14th century, the name BURGER appeared in the Hausberger Chronicle, a historical document that recorded significant events and families in the region of Hausbergen, near Strasbourg. This suggests that the name had already gained prominence in the area at that time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname BURGER was Hans Burger, a merchant from Nuremberg, Germany, who lived in the 15th century. He was a prominent figure in the city's trade and commerce circles.

In the 16th century, the name BURGER was also present in the Netherlands, where it was sometimes spelled as "Burgher." Pieter Burgher (1521-1596) was a renowned Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works.

As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to England, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Burgess." John Burgess (1598-1663) was an English theologian and scholar who served as the Bishop of Salisbury.

In the 18th century, Johann Burger (1773-1842) was a German philosopher and writer who made significant contributions to the field of aesthetics. His works, such as "On the Origin of Knowledge" and "On the Sublime," explored the nature of beauty and the sublime.

Another notable figure with the surname BURGER was Joseph Burger (1892-1981), an Austrian-American painter and printmaker. He was a prominent figure in the American Modernist movement and is known for his abstract and expressionist works.

Throughout history, the surname BURGER has been associated with various professions, including merchants, artisans, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and occupations of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burger

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

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

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

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