Contents [hide]

Burk History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Burk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland
England

The surname is one of the Anglo-Norman names that came to Ireland in the 12th century. The surname Burk is derived from the Old English word "burh," which is derived from the Old German word "burg," the common Germanic word for a fortification. It seems likely that the first family to bear this surname would have lived in or near a prehistoric fort situated on a hill. In the Norman fashion, surnames created from place names or geographic locations were prefixed by "de," which means "from" in French.

Early Origins of the Burk family

The surname Burk was first found in County Galway (Irish: Gaillimh) part of the province of Connacht, located on the west coast of the Island, where the family name is descended from the Norman noble William Fitzadelm de Burgo who went to Ireland in the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland and was the succeeded Strongbow as Chief Governor.

"Robert de Burgh, Earl of Moreton in Normandy, son of Harlowen de Burgh, by Arlotta, his wife, mother of William the Conqueror, participated with his half-brother in the triumph at Hastings, was created Earl of Cornwall, and received, as a further recompense, grants of seven hundred and ninety-three manors. His son, William Earl of Cornwall, who, rebelling against the Henry I., joined Robert of Normandy, and led the van at the battle of Tenchebray. He fell into the hands of his opponents and was sent prisoner to England, where he was treated with much cruelty, and detaining him in captivity for life. He left two sons: I. Adelm, from whom descended the Burghs, Earls of Ulster, the noble House of Clanricarde, and the various families of Burke, so widely scattered over the south west district of Ireland; and II. John, whose son, Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent, was Justiciary of England, temp. Henry III., and one of the greatest subjects in England." 1

Great stretches of land were given to this family in the year 1177. Richard Oge de Burc, son of William, became the "Lord Justice of Ireland" under King Henry II in 1177 and was regranted the lands of his father the following year. 2

Richard Mor de Burc, the older son of William, was the ancestor of the family name Bourke or Burke. They formed several septs, the two most important having been the MacWilliam Uachtar sept of county Galway, and the MacWilliam Lochtar sept of county Mayo.

It should be noted that not all of the family were in Ireland as some were found in Knaresborough, in the West Riding of Yorkshire in ancient times. "At the time of the Domesday Survey it formed part of the royal demesnes, and was given by the Conqueror to Serlo de Burgh, Baron of Tonsburg, in Normandy, who had accompanied that monarch into England, and by whom its stately castle, now a ruin, was originally built, on the rocky heights north of the river Nidd." 3

Another noted source confirms Knaresborough as a point of origin, but has a different Norman baron: " 'Burgh' must here stand for Serlo de Burgh, a powerful Northern baron in the time of the Conqueror, who built Knaresborough Castle, and appears to have taken his name from the manor of Burgh, in Yorkshire. " 4

Early History of the Burk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burk research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1227, 1503, 1544, 1572, 1582, 1590, 1598, 1601, 1604, 1629, 1635, 1642, 1647, 1657, 1666, 1667, 1672 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Burk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burk Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Burk that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: de Burgh, Burke, Bourke, Burk, Bourk, Gillick and many more.

Early Notables of the Burk family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Ulick Ceann Burke (died 1544), 12th Clanricarde and 1st Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Sassanach Burke, 2nd Earl of Clanricarde (died 1582)
Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde, (died 1601), Irish peer
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde (1572-1635), an Irish nobleman
Ulick Burke, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde (1604-1657), was an Irish nobleman and figure in English Civil War
The Most Reverend John de Burgh (de Burgo, Burke) (1590-1667), an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman, Vicar Apostolic and Bishop of Clonfert (1629 to 1647) and Archbishop of Tuam (1647 to 1667)
Oliver Burke (ca.1598-1672), Dominican priest and ecclesiastical administrator, Bishop of Kilmacduagh
Richard Burke (d. 1666), 6th Earl of Clanricarde, Irish peer

Burk Ranking

In the United States, the name Burk is the 2,634^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5

Burk migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name Burk:

Burk Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Burk, aged 18, who landed in New England in 1635 6
Ann Burk, who landed in Virginia in 1647 6
Anna Burk, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 6
William Burk, who landed in Maryland in 1663 6
Penelope Burk, who landed in Virginia in 1664 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burk Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Joseph Burk, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 6
Margaret Burk, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 6
Jone Burk, who landed in Virginia in 1711 6
Catherine Burk, who landed in Virginia in 1715 6
Mary Burk, who landed in Virginia in 1715 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Burk, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 6
Jeremiah Burk, aged 26, who landed in New York in 1812 6
Sibby Burk, who landed in New York NY in 1816 6
James Burk, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 6
George Burk, who landed in New York, NY in 1828 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burk Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Harry Burk, who landed in New York, NY in 1903 6

Burk migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burk Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Edward Burk U.E. born in Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Pennfield, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 listed as signing the Quaker Loyalist agreement 7
Mr. John Burk U.E. born in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA who settled in Pennfield, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 listed as signing the Quaker Loyalist agreement 7
Mr. William Burk U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 7

Burk Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Ellen Burk, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833
Marianne Burk, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1833

Burk migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Burk Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edmund Burk, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. John Burk, English convict who was convicted in London, Englandfor 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he was executed in 1835 9
Mr. James Burk, English convict who was convicted in Shropshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Blenheim" on 11th March 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Cornelius Burk, English convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Duncan" on 10th December 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Thomas Burk, aged 30, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Schah Jehan"

Burk migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Burk Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Burk, aged 40, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Julia Burk, aged 32, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
James Burk, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Anne Burk, aged 7, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
Bridget Burk, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Salisbury" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burk migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 12

Burk Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

James and Tobias Burk, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with their servants

Contemporary Notables of the name Burk (post 1700) +

Jeff Burk (b. 1984), American author and editor of Bizarro and Horror fiction
Charles Sanford Burk (1887-1934), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
Joseph William Burk (1914-2008), American oarsman and coach
Antonio Cornell Burk (b. 1980), American professional basketball player
Bryan Burk (b. 1968), American television producer
Arthur Walter Burk (1915-2008), American mathematician
Adrian Matthew Burk (1927-2003), American football quarterback in the National Football League
Dean Burk (1904-1988), American biochemist and co-discoverer of biotin
Martha Burk (b. 1941), American political psychologist, feminist, and former Chair of the National Council of Women's Organizations
John Daly Burk (1776-1808), Irish-born dramatist, historian and newspaperman
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Burk family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Leland Burk, American Gunners Mate Third Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 13

The Burk Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Ung roy, ung foy, ung loy
Motto Translation: One king, one faith, one law.

Citations +

Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blenheim
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/duncan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html