Burker last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Burker

An occupational surname derived from the word "burker", referring to a lime burner or one who burns lime.

Burker, 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 Burker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burker in America

Burker is the 67126th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burker surname appeared 294 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 Burker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burker 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 67126 53556 22.49%
Count 294 362 -20.73%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.13 -26.09%

The history of the last name Burker

The surname Burker is believed to have originated from an occupational name in Scotland, referring to a burgher or freeman of a borough or town. It is derived from the Middle English word "burgeis" and the Old French word "burgeis," meaning a resident of a fortified town or borough.

The name can be traced back to the 12th century in Scotland, where it was commonly found in areas such as Edinburgh, Stirling, and Aberdeen. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which lists individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of Scotland.

In the 14th century, the surname Burker appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland and the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland. These records often referred to individuals with the name as "burgesses" or "burgeis," reflecting their status as freemen of a town or borough.

One notable figure with the surname Burker was John Burker, a merchant and burgess of Edinburgh in the late 15th century. He played a significant role in the city's trade and commerce during that period.

Another early bearer of the name was William Burker, born in 1567 in Stirling. He was a prominent member of the local community and served as a town councilor.

In the 17th century, the surname Burker was associated with the place name Burkers Burgh, a small settlement located near Dunfermline in Fife, Scotland. This connection suggests that some individuals may have taken their surname from the place name or vice versa.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Burker was Sir Alexander Burker (1635-1705), a Scottish soldier and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament for Stirlingshire and was knighted for his military service during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Burker (1710-1782), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Canongate Kirk and the Merchant Maiden Hospital.

In the 19th century, the surname Burker was found among Scottish emigrants who settled in various parts of the world, including North America, Australia, and New Zealand. One such individual was James Burker (1825-1901), a Scottish-born businessman who became a prominent figure in the early development of the city of Melbourne, Australia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burker

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

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 Burker was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 97.28% 286
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 2.04% 6
Hispanic Origin 0.00% 0

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 97.28% 95.03% 2.34%
Black (S)% 2.76% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.04% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 0.00% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Burker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 9, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burker-surname-popularity/.

"Burker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burker-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 July, 2025

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

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