Burke is an Irish surname of Norman origin: the de Burgh family came to Ireland in the 12th century, and the name means "from the fortress" or "borough", from the Old English burh. The 18th-century statesman and philosopher Edmund Burke is its most famous bearer. As a first name it has never cracked the US top 1000 in this century, ranking number 1897 in 2000, number 1777 at its 2005 peak and number 2649 in 2025 with 49 boys.