2000
#7,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Burkey
An anglicized form of the German surname Burkhardt, meaning "fortified hill" or "castle on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,525 Americans carry the last name Burkey. That puts it at #8,050 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burkey 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 Burkey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,747
Census rank
#8,050
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,946 bearers of the surname Burkey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8050th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burkey
The surname Burkey is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria, during the medieval period. It is derived from the German word "burg," meaning a fortified town or castle, and the suffix "-er," indicating a person associated with that place. This suggests that the name Burkey was likely borne by individuals who hailed from or lived in proximity to a fortified settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burkey can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Duchy of Saxony, which mentions a certain "Burkehart" in the year 1182. This individual's name likely evolved into the modern form of Burkey over time.
In the 14th century, the Burkey name appears in various records from the city of Nuremberg, located in the Franconian region of Bavaria. These records document several individuals bearing this surname, such as Hans Burkey, a merchant who lived in the late 1300s.
During the 16th century, the Burkey name gained prominence in the nearby town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a family of that name became influential members of the local community. One notable figure from this era was Johann Burkey, a respected scholar and theologian who lived from 1525 to 1592.
As the centuries progressed, the Burkey surname spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In the 18th century, a prominent individual named Friedrich Burkey (1723-1798) was a renowned composer and organist from the city of Bayreuth in northern Bavaria.
Another notable bearer of the Burkey name was Karl Burkey (1861-1929), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in the city of Dresden during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the Burkey surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through various waves of migration. However, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the medieval and early modern periods of German history, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burkey
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Burkey 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 Burkey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,649
- Two or more races3.0% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burkey
Burkey 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
#7,624
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,354
+344 bearers (+8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 26 places
2020
#8,050
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,946
-408 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 426 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,650 | 4,010 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,624 | 4,354 | 1.48 | +344 bearers (+8.6%) | Up 26 places |
| 2020 | #8,050 | 3,946 | 1.32 | -408 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 426 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 Burkey 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 | #7,624 | #8,050 | -5.6% |
| Count | 4,354 | 3,946 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.48 | 1.32 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burkey bearers went from 4,354 to 3,946 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 426 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,624 to #8,050.
FAQ
Burkey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burkey?
Name Census estimates that about 4,525 living Americans carry the surname Burkey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,747 residents.
How common is Burkey?
Burkey ranks #8,050 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,946 people with the surname Burkey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,525), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Burkey.
Has Burkey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burkey went from 4,354 recorded bearers to 3,946. That is a decrease of 408 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,624 to #8,050.
What does the Census say about the background of Burkey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkey, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Burkey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burkey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Burkey (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 Burkey mean?
An anglicized form of the German surname Burkhardt, meaning "fortified hill" or "castle on a hill." 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 Burkey (1.32 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 people have the surname Burkey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.