Show ContentsBurkhead History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Burkhead family

The surname Burkhead was first found in Herefordshire where they held a family seat at Burghill, a parish, in the hundred of Grimsworth. 1 They later acquired estates at Thinghill.

However, their descent can be traced by to the Domesday Book, 2 where conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Burghill, held by Alfred of Marlborough who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Burgill held a mill and 25 eel ponds.

Early History of the Burkhead family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burkhead research. Another 118 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1159, 1172, 1442, 1510, 1545, 1572, 1600, 1641, 1645, 1646 and 1665 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: Burghill, Burgehill, Burghil, Burghall, Burghal, Burkhill, Birkhill, Burkell, Berghill, Berghil, Bergle, Burgle and many more.

Early Notables of the Burkhead family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Henry Burkhead (fl. 1645), was an English dramatist, a merchant of Bristol and author of a tragedy, 'Cola's Fury, or Lirenda's Misery,' which was never acted, and probably was not written for the stag...

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. 3

Migration of the Burkhead family to Ireland

Some of the Burkhead family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 63 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Burkhead family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


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. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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