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Burk Family History

Burk Surname Meaning

South German (also Bürk): from a short form of the personal name Burkhard (see Burkhart). Compare Buerk.

German: habitational name from the common placenames Burk and Burg. Sorbian: status name or nickname from Upper Sorbian burk a diminutive of bur ‘peasant’ (see Buhr).

Germanized form of Sorbian Bórk (see Bork). Irish and English: variant of Burke.

Americanized form of French Bourg or of its altered form Bourque.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Burk family from?

You can see how Burk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burk families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 89 Burk families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 14% of all the recorded Burk's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Burk families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burk 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 Burk ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Burk. 18% of Burk men worked as a Farmer and 7% of Burk women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Burk were Truck Driver and Clerk.

View Census Data for Burk | 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

  • Farmer
    18%
  • Laborer
    17%
  • Salesman
    5%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    7%
  • Housewife
    7%
  • Stenographer
    6%
  • Clerk
    6%

What Burk family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 180,000 census records available for the last name Burk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Burk

Passenger Lists

There are 13,000 immigration records available for the last name Burk. 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 Burk immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 29,000 military records available for the last name Burk. For the veterans among your Burk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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