2000
#2,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,048
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.58
Uncommon Last name
Burk
An English and German occupational surname referring to a person who worked in a fortress or castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,947 Americans carry the last name Burk. That puts it at #2,404 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,225 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burk surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Burk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 20,225
Census rank
#2,404
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,779 bearers of the surname Burk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2404th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burk, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burk
The surname "BURK" is of Irish and English origin, derived from the Gaelic word "burc" or "boric," which means a fortified residence or a small castle. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century, during the Norman invasion of Ireland.
The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror. It appeared as "de Burc" or "de Burgh," referring to individuals who hailed from a particular town or region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was William de Burgh, a Norman knight who accompanied King Henry II to Ireland in 1171. He later became the first Earl of Ulster and established a powerful Anglo-Norman dynasty in Ireland.
In the 13th century, the name was further anglicized to "Burke" or "Bourke," and it became widespread in various parts of Ireland, particularly in the provinces of Connacht and Munster.
Another notable figure in history was Edmund Burke (1729-1797), an Irish statesman, philosopher, and author who played a significant role in the British political landscape during the 18th century. He is considered one of the founding fathers of modern conservatism.
Robert O'Hara Burke (1821-1861) was an Irish-born explorer and police officer who led an ill-fated expedition across Australia, known as the Burke and Wills Expedition. He perished during the journey, and his remains were eventually recovered and buried in Melbourne.
In the United States, the name gained prominence with the likes of Billie Burke (1884-1970), an American actress and comedian best known for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz."
James Lee Burke (born 1936) is a renowned American author known for his crime fiction novels, particularly the Dave Robicheaux series set in Louisiana. He has received numerous literary awards and critical acclaim for his work.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burk
Among Census respondents with the surname Burk, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Burk bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Burk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.8% · 12,974
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 591
- Two or more races3.6% · 532
- Black or African American3.4% · 498
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 102
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 82
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burk
Burk appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,500
+452 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 5.25
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#2,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,779
-721 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 4.94
Rank movement Down 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,215 | 15,048 | 5.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,352 | 15,500 | 5.25 | +452 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #2,404 | 14,779 | 4.94 | -721 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 52 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Burk surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,352 | #2,404 | -2.2% |
| Count | 15,500 | 14,779 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.25 | 4.94 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burk bearers went from 15,500 to 14,779 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,352 to #2,404.
FAQ
Burk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burk?
Name Census estimates that about 16,947 living Americans carry the surname Burk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,225 residents.
How common is Burk?
Burk ranks #2,404 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,779 people with the surname Burk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,947), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Burk.
Has Burk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burk went from 15,500 recorded bearers to 14,779. That is a decrease of 721 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,352 to #2,404.
What does the Census say about the background of Burk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burk, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Burk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.8% (12,974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.8%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Burk (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Burk mean?
An English and German occupational surname referring to a person who worked in a fortress or castle. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Burk (4.94 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Burk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.