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

Burken, 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 Burken surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burken in America

Burken is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burken surname appeared 286 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 Burken.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burken 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 Burken

The surname Burken is of German origin, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "burg" meaning "fortified town" and "ken" meaning "small or little", suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a small fortified town or settlement.

One of the earliest known references to the name Burken can be found in the Bavarian town records from the year 1267, where a certain Johann Burken is mentioned as a landowner. This provides evidence that the name was already established in the region by the 13th century.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Heinrich Burken (1423-1491) was a prominent merchant and councillor in the city of Nuremberg. His successful business endeavors and involvement in local politics earned him significant recognition during his lifetime.

The Burken name also appears in historical documents from the neighboring regions of Saxony and Franconia, indicating that the name had spread beyond its original Bavarian roots by the 16th century. A notable example is Johannes Burken (1542-1612), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Coburg.

During the 17th century, the Burken family established themselves as respected landowners and farmers in the region of Swabia. One notable figure from this time period was Christoph Burken (1618-1693), who was a successful vintner and owned several vineyards in the town of Esslingen.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it also evolved into various spellings and variations, such as Burckhen, Burcken, and Burckner. One notable figure with a variant spelling was Gottfried Burckner (1768-1843), a prominent lawyer and judge who served in the city of Leipzig during the early 19th century.

Throughout its history, the surname Burken has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergy, farmers, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name across different regions and time periods.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burken

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

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

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

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