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Burgh Family History

Burgh Surname Meaning

English and Scottish: habitational name from one or other of the ten English places named Burgh in northern England and East Anglia or the six named Brough in Derbyshire Nottinghamshire Westmorland and Yorkshire. All these are from Old English burg burh Middle English burgh ‘massive earthwork fortification; manor borough’. Compare Bury.

The placename Burgh is pronounced as borough. The surname Brough arose equally from places now called Burgh and Brough and is the more common form of the surname in modern Britain where it is pronounced bruff or broof (/brʊf/).

The Scottish surname was probably brought in from Yorkshire. For the surname in Ireland see Burke.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Burgh family from?

You can see how Burgh families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burgh family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burgh families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 3 Burgh families living in New York. This was about 43% of all the recorded Burgh's in USA. New York had the highest population of Burgh families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burgh surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Burgh ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Saleslady were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Burgh. 21% of Burgh men worked as a Laborer and 17% of Burgh women worked as a Saleslady. Some less common occupations for Americans named Burgh were Salesman and Bookkeeper.

View Census Data for Burgh | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    21%
  • Farmer
    15%
  • Manager
    10%
  • Salesman
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Saleslady
    17%
  • Teacher
    17%
  • Helper
    12%
  • Bookkeeper
    12%

What Burgh family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Burgh. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burgh census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Burgh

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Burgh. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Burgh immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 8,000 military records available for the last name Burgh. For the veterans among your Burgh ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Burgh military records

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