Burke is an English variant of the English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 and Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 surname

Surname

A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...

 originating from the Anglo-Normans.
In Old English, the name means "fortified hill". Variants include Bourke, de Burgo, Burgh, and De Burgh. Many Irish and English emigrants to Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 and other francophone

Francophone

The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....

 regions of Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 chose to change the spelling of the name to Bourque

Bourque

Bourque is a surname of French origin. The name refers to:*Basil Bourque , American businessman*Chris Bourque , American professional ice hockey player*Claude Bourque , Canadian professional ice hockey player...

. Burke is an uncommon given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

. Several localities around the world have been named Burke

Burke

- People :* Burke * Edmund Burke, a prominent 18th century politician commonly referenced as simply "Burke"* Robert O'Hara Burke, a prominent Australian explorer- Australia :* Burke Developmental Road, a Queensland road...

.

Notable people with the surname

• Adrian P. Burke
  Adrian P. Burke
  Adrian Paul Burke was an American lawyer and politician.-Life:...
  
   (1904-2000), New York judge
• Alafair Burke
  Alafair Burke
  Alafair S. Burke is an American author, professor of law, and legal commentator. She is the author of two series of crime novels, one featuring NYPD Detective Ellie Hatcher, the other featuring Portland prosecutor Samantha Kincaid...
  
  , mystery novel writer and Court TV commentator, daughter of James Lee Burke
  James Lee Burke
  James Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
  
  
• Alexandra Burke
  Alexandra Burke
  Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke is a British R&B and pop recording artist who rose to fame after winning the fifth series of British television series The X Factor in 2008...
  
  , winner of the fifth series of British show the X Factor.
• Alvin Burke, Jr., professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment
• Anna Burke
  Anna Burke
  Anna Elizabeth Burke , Australian politician, has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Chisholm, Victoria...
  
  , Australian politician
• Arleigh Burke
  Arleigh Burke
  Admiral Arleigh Albert '31-knot' Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.-Early life and naval career:Burke was born in Boulder,...
  
  , former Admiral of the United States Navy and Chief of Naval Operations
• Augustus Nicholas Burke
  Augustus Nicholas Burke
  Augustus Joseph Nicholas Burke was an artist and a member of the Royal Hibernian Academy .-Biography:Burke was born into the Galway Burkes of Glinsk and was the sixth son of William Burke of Knocknagur, Tuam, Co. Galway. He was born at Waterslade House in the town...
  
  , Irish painter
• Sir John Bernard Burke
  Bernard Burke
  Sir John Bernard Burke, CB was a British officer of arms and genealogist.-Personal life:He was born in London, and was educated in London and in France. His father, John Burke , was also a genealogist, and in 1826 issued a Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the...
  
  , British genealogist, editor of Burke's Peerage
• Bill Burke (athlete)
  Bill Burke (athlete)
  Bill Burke is a retired male middle distance runner from the United States, who competed in the 1980s and the early 1990s for his native country. He set his personal best in the men's 1,500 metres event on 1993-08-01 at a meet in Cologne.-Achievements:-References:*...
  
   (born 1969), American middle distance runner
• Brian Burke
  Brian Burke
  Brian Thomas Burke was Labor premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988...
  
  , Australian politician
• Brian Bourke
  Brian Bourke
  Briain Bourke is an Irish artist.Bourke studied at the National College of Art and Design and St. Martins School of Art, London. He held his first one man show in Dublin in 1964. The following year Bourke won an Arts Council prize for portraiture and was chosen to represent Ireland in the Biennale...
  
  , Irish Political Theorist noted for his "Red Pride" campaign
• Brian Burke (ice hockey), GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs
• Brian Burke (Wisconsin politician)
  Brian Burke (Wisconsin politician)
  Brian Burke, , is a Wisconsin politician and legislator.Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Burke graduated from Marquette University. He served on the Milwaukee Common Council in 1984. From 1989 until 2001, Burke served in the Wisconsin State Senate.Burke now works for the Wisconsin State Public...
  
  , American politician
• Brooke Burke
  Brooke Burke
  Brooke Burke Charvet , better known by her maiden name, Brooke Burke, is an actress, dancer, model and television personality...
  
  , actress and model
• Charles Burke (disambiguation)
• Cheryl Burke
  Cheryl Burke
  Cheryl Stephanie Burke is a professional dancer. She is best known for being one of the professional dancers on ABC's Dancing with the Stars, where she was the first woman to win the show and the first person to win twice ....
  
  , professional dancer
• Chris Burke (disambiguation)
• Clem Burke
  Clem Burke
  Clem Burke is an American musician who is the drummer for the band Blondie. Recruited by Chris Stein and Debbie Harry when they were first forming Blondie, Burke remained with the band through its first stage and later returned for its late 1990s reunion and then its extensive 2009 tour.Following...
  
  , drummer for the group Blondie
• David Burke (disambiguation)
  David Burke (disambiguation)
  David Burke may refer to:* David Burke , British television star* David Burke , American television actor* David Burke , English botanist* David Burke , chef and restaurateur...
  
  
• Declan Burke
  Declan Burke
  Declan "Dec" Burke is a guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist. He has performed with Frost* on 2008 "Experiments in Mass Appeal" and the live album "The Philadelphia Experiment" in 2010....
  
  , English musician
• Delta Burke
  Delta Burke
  Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
  
  , actress
• Dominic Burke (bishop)
  Dominic Burke (bishop)
  Dominic Burke was an Irish Roman Catholic bishop. He served as the Bishop of Elphin from 1671 to 1704.-References:...
  
  , Bishop of Elphin from 1671 to 1704
• Don Burke
  Don Burke
  Donald William "Don" Burke OAM is an Australian television personality and author. He is best known as the long time host of Burke's Backyard, a lifestyle program which ran for 17 years from 1987 to late 2004 on the Nine Network. It has returned several times over recent years with a number of...
  
  , Australian television personality
• Douglas Burke
  Douglas Burke
  Douglas Burke is a former water polo player who won a silver medal for the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.-References:* *...
  
  , American water polo player
• Edmund Burke
  Edmund Burke
  Edmund Burke PC was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party....
  
  , Anglo-Irish statesman and political philosopher
• Edmund Bourke (1761–1821)
  Edmund Bourke (1761–1821)
  Edmund Bourke, also Edmond or Edmound Burke, born 1761 in Saint Croix as son of a planter, died 1821 in Paris, was a Danish diplomat who negotiated and signed the Treaty of Kiel.-References:...
  
   (or Burke), Danish statesman
• Edward Burke (disambiguation)
• Elijah Burke
  Elijah Burke
  Elijah Samuel Burke is an American professional wrestler, currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the name of "The Pope" D'Angelo Dinero; a gimmick in which he portrays a Harlem street preacher...
  
  , American professional wrestler
• Frank W. Burke
  Frank W. Burke
  Frank Welsh Burke was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky from 1959 to 1963 and as Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky from 1969 to 1973....
  
  , Louisville mayor and U.S. Representative from Kentucky
• Sir Henry Burke
  Henry Burke
  Sir Henry Farnham Burke, KCVO, CB, FSA was a long serving Irish officer of arms at the College of Arms in London.-Biography:Henry Burke was a son of Sir Bernard Burke . Henry Burke was appointed Rouge Croix Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1880...
  
  , British genealogist, Garter Principal King of Arms
• James Burke (science historian)
  James Burke (science historian)
  James Burke is a British broadcaster, science historian, author and television producer known amongst other things for his documentary television series Connections and its more philosophical oriented companion production, The Day the Universe Changed , focusing on the history of science and...
  
  , British author and television producer
• James A. Burke
  James A. Burke
  James Anthony Burke was a United States Representative from Massachusetts from 1959 to 1979.He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was educated in the Boston public schools and Lincoln Preparatory School and attended Suffolk University...
  
  , member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts
• James Lee Burke
  James Lee Burke
  James Lee Burke is an American author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose . The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones...
  
  , American author and mystery writer
• Jamie Burke
  Jamie Burke
  James Eugene Burke is a Major League Baseball catcher, who is currently a free agent. He attended Oregon State University, where along with baseball he also played for the school's football team playing the position of kicker.-Minor League Journeyman, 1993 to 2003:Burke was originally drafted by...
  
  , Major League Baseball catcher for the Seattle Mariners
• Jason Burke
  Jason Burke
  Jason Burke is a British journalist and the author of several non-fiction books. A correspondent covering South Asia for The Observer and The Guardian, he is based in New Delhi as of 2010. In his years of journalism, Burke has addressed a wide range of topics including politics, social affairs and...
  
  , author
• Jimmy Burke (disambiguation)
• Joe Burke (keyboardist) (born 1939), Irish accordion player
• Joe Burke (baseball) (1924-1992), baseball executive
• Joe Burke (composer)
  Joe Burke (composer)
  Joseph A. Burke was an American composer and pianist. He was born in Philadelphia and died in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and started as a pianist accompanying silent movies and an arranger in a music publishing firm. It was during this time...
  
   (1884-1950), American actor, composer and pianist
• John Burke (disambiguation)
  John Burke (disambiguation)
  -Art, literature, and media:*John Burke , Irish artist*John Burke , English writer of novels and short stories*John J...
  
  
• Joseph Burke (disambiguation)
• Kathy Burke
  Kathy Burke
  Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke is an English actress, comedienne, playwright and theatre director. She is best known for her portrayals of Perry in the Harry Enfield film Kevin and Perry Go Large, and of Linda La Hughes in the British sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme...
  
  , English actress, comic and theatre director
• Kenneth Burke
  Kenneth Burke
  Kenneth Duva Burke was a major American literary theorist and philosopher. Burke's primary interests were in rhetoric and aesthetics.-Personal history:...
  
  , American literary theorist and philosopher
• Kevin Burke (musician), Irish fiddler
• Leon Burke III
  Leon Burke III
  Dr. Leon Burke III is an American musician, singer, and conductor from St. Louis, Missouri. He began his musical studies at age 12 and by age 16 was conducting orchestras.-Personal life:...
  
  , American musician
• Matt Burke
  Matt Burke
  Matthew Burke is a retired Australian rugby union player. He grew up in Carlingford, New South Wales, and was schooled at St Gerard Majella Catholic Primary School, Carlingford and St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill...
  
  , Australian rugby union footballer
• Mick Burke
  Mick Burke
  Michael "Mick" Burke is an English former rugby league footballer of the 1970s and 80s. He represented both England and Great Britain whilst playing club football for Widnes....
  
  , English rugby league footballer
• Pat Burke
  Pat Burke
  Patrick John Burke is a former Irish professional basketball player, who last played with the Polish club Asseco Prokom Sopot...
  
  , Irish basketball player
• Patrick Burke (bishop)
  Patrick Burke (bishop)
  The Most Reverend Patrick Burke was an Irish Roman Catholic clergyman who served as the Bishop of Elphin from 1827 to 1843.-References:...
  
  , Bishop of Elphin from 1827 to 1843
• Paul Burke (actor)
  Paul Burke (actor)
  Paul Burke was an American actor best known for his lead roles in two 1960s ABC television series, Naked City and Twelve O'Clock High...
  
  , American actor
• Peter Burke
  Peter Burke
  Peter Burke is a British historian and professor.He was born to a Roman Catholic father and Jewish mother . He was educated by the Jesuits and at St John's College, Oxford, and was a doctoral candidate at St Antony's College...
  
  , British historian
• Raymond Burke (clarinetist)
  Raymond Burke (clarinetist)
  Raymond Burke was a U.S. jazz clarinetist.Burke was born as Raymond Barrios in New Orleans, Louisiana. He seldom left the city limits, as he disliked traveling...
  
  , New Orleans jazz clarinetist
• Raymond Leo Burke
  Raymond Leo Burke
  Raymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
  
  , U.S. Catholic prelate, former Archbishop of St. Louis
• Robert O'Hara Burke
  Robert O'Hara Burke
  Robert O'Hara Burke was an Irish soldier and police officer, who achieved fame as an Australian explorer. He was the leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition, which was the first expedition to cross Australia from south to north, finding a route across the continent from the settled...
  
  , Australian explorer
• Séamus Burke
  Séamus Burke
  Séamus Aloysius Burke was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal and Fine Gael politician....
  
  , Irish politician
• Sean Burke
  Sean Burke
  Sean Burke is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Los Angeles...
  
  , NHL goalie for the Los Angeles Kings
• Solomon Burke
  Solomon Burke
  Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
  
  , soul singer ("Everybody Needs Somebody to Love")
• Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke
  Sonny Burke was a big band leader. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors....
  
   (1914-1980), American musician
• Terry Burke
  Terry Burke
  Terence Joseph "Terry" Burke is a former member for the seat of Perth in the Western Australian Legislative Assembly . He held the seat between 1968 and 1987....
  
  , Australian politician
• Thomas Burke (disambiguation)
• Tom Burke (disambiguation)
• Tony Burke
  Tony Burke
  Anthony Stephen 'Tony' Burke is an Australian politician representing the Labor Party, and the current Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities . He first entered public office in 2003 as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council...
  
  , Australian politician
• William Burke, one of the two West Port murderers
• William H. Burke, American college football coach
• William J. Burke
  William J. Burke
  William Joseph Burke was an American politician and businessman.-Biography:He was born in London, England of Irish parents. He was a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate from 1915 to 1918. He was a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania from 1919 to 1923, as a member of the United States...
  
   (1862-1925), English-born American politician and businessman
• William L. Burke
  William L. Burke
  William Lionel Burke was an astronomy, astrophysics, and physics professor at UC Santa Cruz. He is also the author of Spacetime, Geometry, Cosmology , and of Applied differential geometry , a text expounding the virtues of differential forms over vector calculus for theoretical physics.Born in...
  
   (1941–1996), American college professor

Fictional characters

• Burke, a character from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
  Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire main cast of the 1960s Star Trek television series. Released in 1991 by Paramount Pictures, it was directed by Nicholas Meyer and...
  
  
• Burke
  Burke (character)
  Burke is the protagonist of the Burke Series by Andrew Vachss.He is a career criminal, an orphan raised by the State who was abused throughout his childhood in state institutions and foster homes. Burke lives in New York City, always on the edges of society...
  
  , the antihero protagonist of the Burke Series of novels by Andrew Vachss
• Amos Burke, main character in Burke's Law
  Burke's Law
  Burke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
  
  
• Clyde Burke, a newspaper reporter and one of the agents of The Shadow
  The Shadow
  The Shadow is a collection of serialized dramas, originally in pulp magazines, then on 1930s radio and then in a wide variety of media, that follow the exploits of the title character, a crime-fighting vigilante in the pulps, which carried over to the airwaves as a "wealthy, young man about town"...
  
  .
• Preston Burke
  Preston Burke
  Preston Xavier Burke, more commonly known as Burke, is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy. The character was portrayed by actor Isaiah Washington, up until the third season.-Storylines:...
  
  , a character on Grey's Anatomy
• Juliet Burke
  Juliet Burke
  Dr. Juliet Burke is a fictional character on the ABC television series Lost played by Elizabeth Mitchell. Her character was introduced in the third season premiere.- Prior to arrival on the island :...
  
  , a character from the TV series Lost
• Peter Burke, a character from the TV series White Collar
  White Collar (TV series)
  White Collar is a USA Network television series created by Jeff Eastin, starring Matt Bomer as con-man Neal Caffrey and Tim DeKay as Special Agent Peter Burke. It premiered on October 23, 2009. In December 2009, White Collar was renewed for a second season that began on July 13, 2010...
  
  
• Leslie Burke, a character from Bridge to Terabithia
• Carter J. Burke, a character from the 1986 film Aliens
  Aliens (film)
  Aliens is a 1986 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn, Lance Henriksen, William Hope, and Bill Paxton...
  
  
• Robert Burke, a hunter and dinosaur expert in the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park
  The Lost World: Jurassic Park
  The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 science fiction thriller film, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was produced by Bonnie Curtis, Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson...
  
  
• Walter Burke, a character, played by Al Pacino
  Al Pacino
  Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
  
   in "The Recruit
  The Recruit
  The Recruit is a 2003 American spy thriller film directed by Roger Donaldson, starring Colin Farrell, Al Pacino and Bridget Moynahan. It was released on January 31, 2003 in North America by Touchstone Pictures....
  
  "
• Officer Thomas Burke, a character, played by Michael Landes in "Final Destination 2"

See also

• Berg (disambiguation)
• Berkley (disambiguation)
• Bourke (disambiguation)
• Burgh
  Burgh
  A burgh was an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England, usually a town. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United...
  
  , an autonomous corporate entity in Scotland
• de Burgh
  De Burgh
  de Burgh is a surname, and may refer to:* Chris de Burgh , musician and songwriter* Edmond Albanach de Burgh , Lord of Connaught* Elizabeth de Burgh , Scottish royal consort...
  
  , a surname
• Burgos
  Burgos
  Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
  
  , a city of northern Spain
• Burk (disambiguation)
• Clan Burke
  Clan Burke
  The House of Burke is the name given to the clan of the Norman-Irish family of de Burgh also known as 'de Burgo' ....
  
  , a family of Irish origin