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Berka Family History

Berka Surname Meaning

German: habitational name from any of several places called Berka named with ancient Germanic birka ‘birch tree’ notably in Hesse and Thuringia.

Czech Slovak and Polish: from a pet form of the personal name Bernard. Czech: nickname from berka ‘robber’.

Sorbian (Běrka): occupational name for a collector of taxes, a variant of Běrk (see Berk). It is found mainly in Germanized forms such as Birke.

Hungarian: from a pet form of the personal names Bertalan and Bernát, Hungarian forms of Bartholomew and Bernard respectively.

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


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Where is the Berka family from?

You can see how Berka families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Berka family name was found in the USA, Canada, and Scotland between 1871 and 1920. The most Berka families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 2 Berka families living in Saskatchewan. This was about 67% of all the recorded Berka's in Canada. Saskatchewan had the highest population of Berka families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Berka surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Berka ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Berka. 23% of Berka men worked as a Farmer and 20% of Berka women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Berka were Farm Laborer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Berka | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Farmer
    23%
  • Laborer
    23%
  • Machinist
    12%
  • Farm Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housekeeper
    20%
  • New Worker
    20%
  • Operator
    15%
  • Housewife
    15%

What Berka family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Berka. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Berka census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Berka

Passenger Lists

There are 922 immigration records available for the last name Berka. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Berka immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Berka. For the veterans among your Berka ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Berka military records

You've only scratched the surface of Berka family history

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What is the average Berka lifespan?

Between 1961 and 2004, in the United States, Berka life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1968, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Berka in 1961 was 60, and 83 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Berka

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Berka ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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