# Burke (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/burke/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A topographical surname from Anglo-Norman for someone who lived in a fortified place.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Norman |
| Type | place, taken from where an ancestor lived or came from |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 122,877 |
| US rank (2010) | 246 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 2,513 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.1% (119,175 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /bɝk/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | Burgh, Bourke, Burgo, Burk |

## Etymology

From an Anglo-Norman pronunciation of burg.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Burke in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 86% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 8.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.5% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Burke in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Kingdom of Ireland and Barbados.

## People named Burke

- Edmund Burke, Anglo-Irish statesman, political theorist and conservative philosopher (1729–1797)
- Tarana Burke, American civil rights activist
- Raymond Leo Burke, American Catholic cardinal
- Billie Burke, American stage and film actress (1884-1970)
- Solomon Burke, American singer (1940–2010)
- Thomas Burke, American sprinter
- Billy Burke, American actor, musician
- Delta Burke, actress
- Tom Burke, British actor
- Kenneth Burke, American philosopher and literary critic (1897–1993)
- Lynn Burke, American swimmer
- Robert John Burke, American actor (born 1960)

and 46 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Burk, Brake, Brooke, Bürg, Burkey, Berkey, Berke, Bourke, Burek, Burak, Brakke, Burks.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.