2000
#1,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.68
Uncommon Last name
Burks
Derived from the Old English word "burh," meaning a fortress or fortified town, likely referring to a town-dweller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,467 Americans carry the last name Burks. That puts it at #1,297 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,250 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burks surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Burks with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,250
Census rank
#1,297
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,569 bearers of the surname Burks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1297th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burks, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burks
The surname BURKS is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "buroc," meaning a small stream or brook. This word later evolved into various spellings, including "Broke," "Brook," and eventually "Burk" or "Burks."
The earliest known record of the surname BURKS dates back to the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1190, where it was spelled "de Brok." This suggests that the name may have originally been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire as "Brok" and "de la Broke," further solidifying its connection to waterways. During this time, the surname was also found in various parts of England, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname BURKS was Sir John de la Brok, a Knight of the Shire for Gloucestershire in 1322. Another notable figure was William Brooke, the 7th Baron Cobham (c. 1460-1508), who fought for the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the spelling "Burks" became more prevalent, as seen in the records of John Burks, a landowner in Warwickshire in 1580. Other variations, such as "Burkes" and "Bourke," also emerged during this period.
Over the centuries, the BURKS surname has been associated with several prominent individuals, including:
1. Edmund Burke (1729-1797), an Irish statesman and philosopher, known as the father of modern conservatism.
2. Robert Burks (1910-1968), an American film director and editor who worked closely with Alfred Hitchcock.
3. Arthur Burks (1915-2008), an American mathematician and computer scientist who worked on the ENIAC project during World War II.
4. Walter Burks (1914-1988), an American composer and music educator known for his contributions to electronic music.
5. Rufus Burks (1913-1981), an American baseball player who spent several seasons in the Negro Leagues.
While the BURKS surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, reflecting the migration patterns of English settlers and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burks
Among Census respondents with the surname Burks, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Burks bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Burks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 13,196
- Black or African American41.2% · 10,952
- Two or more races5.1% · 1,355
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 852
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 107
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 107
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burks
Burks appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,523
+1,408 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 9.33
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#1,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,569
-954 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 8.89
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,232 | 26,115 | 9.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,278 | 27,523 | 9.33 | +1,408 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #1,297 | 26,569 | 8.89 | -954 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 19 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Burks surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,278 | #1,297 | -1.5% |
| Count | 27,523 | 26,569 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 9.33 | 8.89 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burks bearers went from 27,523 to 26,569 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,278 to #1,297.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Burks
FAQ
Burks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burks?
Name Census estimates that about 30,467 living Americans carry the surname Burks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,250 residents.
How common is Burks?
Burks ranks #1,297 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,569 people with the surname Burks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Burks.
Has Burks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burks went from 27,523 recorded bearers to 26,569. That is a decrease of 954 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,278 to #1,297.
What does the Census say about the background of Burks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burks, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (41.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Burks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (13,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.7%), Black (41.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Burks (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Burks mean?
Derived from the Old English word "burh," meaning a fortress or fortified town, likely referring to a town-dweller. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Burks (8.89 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Burks?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Burks at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.