Burke - Irish Surname Origin & Meaning
Irish form: de Búrca
Meaning: Norman, from “de Burgh”
Traditional stronghold: Galway, Mayo
Pronunciation: BURK; Irish de Burca
History of the Burke name
Burke descends from William de Burgh, an Anglo-Norman knight who arrived in Ireland in 1185 and was granted vast territories in Connacht, becoming ancestor of the de Burgh, later Burke, dynasty. His descendants split into the Burkes of Mayo (Mac William Iochtar) and Clanricarde in Galway (Mac William Uachtar), founding one of the most powerful Hiberno-Norman families, so thoroughly assimilated into Gaelic society that they were counted among the families 'more Irish than the Irish themselves'. Burke remains especially common in Galway and Mayo today.
Variants: de Burgh · Bourke · de Burca
Famous bearers of the name
- Edmund Burke - Dublin-born philosopher and statesman, father of modern conservatism
- Thomas Henry Burke - Under-Secretary for Ireland assassinated in the 1882 Phoenix Park murders
- Richard Burke - Irish politician and European Commissioner
Related names from the same part of Ireland: Kelly · Walsh · Lynch · Connolly · Clarke · Hughes · Keane · Kenny