Burkard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Burkard

What does the name Burkard mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Burkard comes from when the family resided in Northern England where the term 'of the birk-head,' as in "the head of the birches" was derived. Thus the name literally means "dweller by the birch-covered headland." 1 The name is related to the names Birkenhead and Beckett 2 and was frequented in Cumberland and Lancashire. 1

The Birket is a tributary of the River Mersey, on the Wirral, Merseyside.

Early Origins of the Burkard family

The surname Burkard was first found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire where John de Birkhaved was listed in 1301. Later, John Birkehede was listed as a Freeman or York in 1442 and Henry Brikket, Byrkett was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 1 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Adam Birkeued. 2

Early History of the Burkard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burkard research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1425, 1503, 1507, 1573, 1607, 1623, 1634, 1636, 1638, 1646, 1650, 1653, 1666, 1700, 1703, 1746, 1838, 1908, 1929, 1958 and 1982 are included under the topic Early Burkard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burkard Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Burkard include Birket, Birkett, Bircket, Burkett, Birckett, Burket, Burkert and many more.

Early Notables of the Burkard family

Sir Anthony Birket of Beldorney Castle; Josiah Burchett (1666-1746), Secretary of the Admiralty in England; and William Burkitt (1650-1703), biblical expositor and vicar in Dedham, Essex, best known for his "Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament" published in 1700. 3 Baron Birkett, of Ulverston in the County Palatine of Lancaster, is a hereditary title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom...
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burkard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burkard family to Ireland

Some of the Burkard family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burkard migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Burkard Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Burkard, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 4

Burkard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joh Joseph Eduard Burkard, who landed in America in 1857 4
Leonard Burkard, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1878 4
August Burkard, who landed in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1889 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Burkard (post 1700) +

Michael Paul Burkard (1947-2024), American poet and educator, Associate Professor in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at Syracuse University (1997-2024)
Burkard Wilhelm Leist (1819-1906), German jurist

Sources +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)