Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Aug 1, 2026

Burke

Burke is a Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh had the surname de Burgh, which was gaelicised in Irish as de Búrca and over the centuries became Búrc, then Burke, and Bourke.

Last revised
Aug 1, 2026
Read time
≈ 34 min
Length
7,882 w
Citations
1
Source
Burke
Blazon: Or, a cross gules
Pronunciation/bərk/
Irish: [ˈbuːɾˠk]
LanguageEnglish / Irish
Origin
LanguageFrench
Derivationde Burgh (de Búrca / Búrc)
Meaning"of the borough"
Region of originEngland, Ireland
Other names
Variant formsBourke, Burgo/de Burgo, de Bourgh
AnglicisationBurgh

Burke (Irish: de Búrca; Latin: de Burgo) is a Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (circa 1160–1206) had the surname de Burgh, which was gaelicised in Irish as de Búrca and over the centuries became Búrc, then Burke, and Bourke.1

Notable people with this name include:

Surname

A

Aggrey Burke source ↗
Alexandra Burke source ↗

B

Barbara Burke source ↗
Bessie Burke source ↗

C

Caroline Burke source ↗
Charles H. Burke source ↗
Cheryl Burke source ↗
Chris Burke source ↗

D

Daithí Burke source ↗
David Burke source ↗
Delta Burke source ↗
Dennis K. Burke source ↗
Don Burke source ↗

E

Edmund Burke source ↗
Elijah Burke source ↗

F

Frances Mary Burke source ↗
Frank W. Burke source ↗

G

Geoffrey Burke source ↗
Greg Burke source ↗

H

Harry E. Burke source ↗

I

  • Ian Burke Irish Gaelic football player
  • Ingrid Burke or "Indy" Burke, American botanist and academic
  • Irwin Burke (born 1916, date of death unknown), Barbadian cricketer

J

J. Herbert Burke source ↗
Jack Burke source ↗
James Edmund Burke source ↗
James Burke source ↗
Jamie Burke source ↗
James Burke source ↗
James Burke source ↗
James F. Burke source ↗
Jasmine Burke source ↗
John Burke source ↗
John J. Burke source ↗

K

Kathleen Burke source ↗
Kathleen Burke Hale source ↗

L

Leo Burke source ↗
Leon Burke III source ↗

M

Marie Burke source ↗
Margaret Burke Sheridan source ↗
Maud Alice Burke Cunard source ↗
Michael Burke source ↗
Mildred Burke source ↗

N

Nicholas Burke source ↗

O

P

Paul Burke source ↗

R

Raymond H. Burke source ↗
Ricard O'Sullivan Burke source ↗
Richard Burke Jr. source ↗
Robert C. Burke source ↗

S

Sailor Burke source ↗
Selma Burke source ↗
Solomon Burke source ↗

T

Thomas Burke source ↗
Thomas Burke source ↗
Thomas Martin Aloysius Burke source ↗
Thomas Burke source ↗
Tom Burke source ↗

U

Ulick de Burgh, 1st Marquess of Clanricarde source ↗

V

W

Walter Burke source ↗
William J. Burke source ↗

Y

Given name

Burke Cuppage source ↗
Burke Shelley source ↗
Charles Burke Elbrick source ↗

By title

Fictional characters

See also

See also

References

References

Citations

  1. Woulfe, Patrick (1923). Irish Names and Surnames (in English and Irish). Dublin: M. H. Gill & Sons Ltd.

Bibliography