Berk Family History

Berk Surname Meaning

Dutch and Polish: from a pet form of an ancient Germanic personal name formed with ber(n) ‘bear’ e.g. Bernhard. Dutch (Van Berk) and North German: topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood from Middle Dutch Middle Low German berke ‘birch’.

Sorbian (Běrk): occupational name for a collector of taxes from a derivative of braś ‘to take’. It is found mainly in Germanized forms such as Berg and Birke.

Slovenian: probably a nickname from an old spelling of brk ‘a hair under the nose’ (singular of brki ‘mustache’).

Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Berg. Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from berk ‘firm strong’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Berke, Beck, Bark, Berg, Berka, Bork, Berko, Berl, Bern, Bero

30K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
3K	Military Records
5K	Immigration Records
19K	Census and Voter Lists
12K	Member Trees

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Where is the Berk family from?

You can see how Berk families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Berk family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Berk families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 34 Berk families living in London. This was about 38% of all the recorded Berk's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Berk families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Berk surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Berk

What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid domestic duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Berk.

View Census Data for Berk

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Unpaid domestic duties

75%

Private means

13%

Private secretary

13%

What Berk family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 19K census records available for the last name Berk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Berk census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Berk

Passenger List

There are 5K immigration records available for the last name Berk. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Berk immigration records

Military Records

There are 3K military records available for the last name Berk. For the veterans among your Berk ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Berk military records

You've only scratched the surface of Berk family history

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What is the average Berk lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Berk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Berk in 1946 was 46, and 81 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Berk family tree

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Berk Surname Meaning

Sorbian (Běrk): occupational name for a collector of taxes from a derivative of braś ‘to take’. It is found mainly in Germanized forms such as Berg and Birke.

Slovenian: probably a nickname from an old spelling of brk ‘a hair under the nose’ (singular of brki ‘mustache’).

Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Berg. Turkish: ornamental name or nickname from berk ‘firm strong’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Berk family from?

What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Unpaid domestic duties was the top reported job for people in the United Kingdom named Berk.

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Unpaid domestic duties

75%

Private means

13%

Private secretary

13%

What Berk family records will you find?

What is the average Berk lifespan?

Between 1946 and 2004, in the United States, Berk life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1946, and highest in 2003. The average life expectancy for Berk in 1946 was 46, and 81 in 2004.

Berk Family History

Berk Surname Meaning

72,000 record(s) for Berk

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Berk family from?

What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Berk family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Berk family history

What is the average Berk lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Berk family tree

Search for another surname

Berk Surname Meaning

72,000 record(s) for Berk

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Berk family from?

What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Berk family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Berk family history

What is the average Berk lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Berk family tree

Search for another surname