Explore the Family Name Burks
The meaning of Burks
English (Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire): habitational name from Birks in Cumberworth (Yorkshire) or from a minor place of this name in another county, named from Middle English birkes, berkes ‘the birches’. If from Staffordshire, the name may be a variant of Birch.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Burks in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Burks fluctuated slightly between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked the 1232nd most popular surname in the United States, with a count of 26,115, making up 9.68 per 100,000 people. By 2010, despite an increase in count to 27,523, the name's rank dropped to 1278th and the proportion per 100,000 declined slightly to 9.33, marking a change of -3.62%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,232 | #1,278 | -3.73% |
| Count | 26,115 | 27,523 | 5.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 9.68 | 9.33 | -3.62% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Burks
The Burks surname also showed some shifts in ethnic identity over the period from 2000 to 2010, as gleaned from the Decennial U.S. Census data. The largest ethnic group associated with this surname was White, although the proportion decreased slightly from 54.49% in 2000 to 51.94% in 2010. During the same time frame, the proportion of Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanics grew considerably by 33.33% and 38.46%, respectively. There was also a minor increase in the proportion of people identifying as Black, from 41.37% in 2000 to 42.23% in 2010. Interestingly, those identifying as having two or more races increased significantly by 55.93%. The only group that saw a decrease was American Indian and Alaskan Natives, dropping by 11.11%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 54.49% | 51.94% | -4.68% |
| Black | 41.37% | 42.23% | 2.08% |
| Two or More Races | 1.77% | 2.76% | 55.93% |
| Hispanic | 1.69% | 2.34% | 38.46% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.45% | 0.4% | -11.11% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.24% | 0.32% | 33.33% |
Burks 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 Burks is British & Irish, which comprises 54.1% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (18.3%) and Nigerian (6.5%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Scandinavian, Eastern European, Italian, and Angolan & Congolese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.1% |
| French & German | 18.3% |
| Nigerian | 6.5% |
| Other | 21.0% |
Possible origins of the surname Burks
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 Burks have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 80.40% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 80.40% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 80.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 80.10% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 80.10% |
What Burks 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 Burks is R-Z209, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z209 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-S660 and R-L51, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Burke, Goss, Larkin, Quinn, Bernard, Vickers, Burk, Minor, Short, Cain.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Burks surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your 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.
What do people with the surname Burks 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
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Burks" Surname 38.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Burks" Surname 31.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Burks" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Burks" Surname 16.8%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Burks?
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 Burks are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition