Show ContentsBurkhead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Burkhead family

The surname Burkhead was first found in Swabia, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development of Europe. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. The family originated as a branch of the Andlau family and took their name from the castle and village Middle-Berkheim near Strassburg. The family acquired extensive estates and became knights of Swabia in the Neckar-Schwarzwald and Ortenau regions.

Early History of the Burkhead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burkhead research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1787, 1817 and 1849 are included under the topic Early Burkhead History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burkhead Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Berckheim, Berckham, Berkham, Berckheimer, Berkheim, Berkheimer, Berkhamer, Berkehamer, Burkhamer, Burkheim, Burckheim, Burcheim, Burcham, Burkham, Burckham, Berckhane, Burckhane, Berkhane and many more.

Early Notables of the Burkhead family

Notables with the surname Burkhead during this period were Carl Christian Berckheim (d.1849), who became a Minister of State for Baden as well as Lord Chamberlain to the court of the Archduke of Baden...
Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burkhead Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burkhead Ranking

In the United States, the name Burkhead is the 10,943rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Burkhead family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Juergen Berckhane, who came to America in 1776.


Contemporary Notables of the name Burkhead (post 1700) +

  • Martin S. Burkhead, American Emeritus Professor of Astronomy at Indiana University, eponym of the 9143 Burkhead, a main-belt asteroid discovered in 1955
  • Rex Burkhead (b. 1990), American NFL football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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