Explore the Family Name Burg

The meaning of Burg

1. German (also Bürg): topographic name from Middle High German burc ‘fortification, castle’, or a habitational name from any of numerous places called Burg. 2. German: from a short form of the personal name Burkhard (see Burkhart). 3. Dutch: from a short form of the ancient Germanic personal name Burgo. 4. Dutch: variant of Van der Burg (see Vanderburg) and, in North America, (also) a shortened form of this. 5. Jewish: variant of Burger. 6. Probably also an altered form of English and Scottish Burgh.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Burg in the United States?

The surname 'Burg' has experienced a slight decrease in popularity over the past decade, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, it ranked as the 6567th most popular surname in the United States, while in 2010 its rank slipped to 6846, marking a change of -4.25%. Despite the drop in rank, the number of individuals bearing this surname increased by 3.36%, going from 4759 in 2000 to 4919 in 2010. The proportion of people with the 'Burg' surname per 100,000 residents also decreased from 1.76 to 1.67 during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#6,567#6,846-4.25%
Count4,7594,9193.36%
Proportion per 100k1.761.67-5.11%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Burg

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that the majority of people with the 'Burg' surname identify as White, although there have been shifts within other ethnic identities. In 2000, 95.31% of 'Burgs' identified as White, dropping slightly to 94.63% in 2010. During the same time period, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander more than doubled from 0.46% to 0.81%, while the percentage identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 24.11%. There were minimal changes amongst those identifying as Black and those claiming two or more races. However, those who identified as American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by over a quarter from 0.19% to 0.14%.

20002010Change
White95.31%94.63%-0.71%
Hispanic1.41%1.75%24.11%
Black1.72%1.69%-1.74%
Two or More Races0.9%0.98%8.89%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.46%0.81%76.09%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.19%0.14%-26.32%

Burg ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Burg is French & German, which comprises 30.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (29.8%) and Ashkenazi Jewish (16.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German30.7%
British & Irish29.8%
Ashkenazi Jewish16.7%
Other22.7%
Burg

Possible origins of the surname Burg

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Burg have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom66.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom66.40%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom65.60%
Lancashire, United Kingdom65.60%
West Midlands, United Kingdom65.60%

What Burg haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Burg is R-M417, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M417 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M405 and I-Z58, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Sand, Holtz, Kaufmann, Schenk, Reiser, Rickard, Brinkman, Schutt, Reuter, Graff.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Burg surname are: H1, N, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

burgPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Burg have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Burg

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Burg" Surname 36.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Burg

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Burg" Surname 25.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Burg

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Burg" Surname 18.0%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Burg

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Burg" Surname 18.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Burg?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Burg are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%