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Berk Family History

Berk Name Meaning

Dutch, Czech, and Polish: from a reduced form of a Germanic personal name formed with ber ‘bear’ (see Bernhard). Dutch and North German (van Berk): topographic name for someone who lived by a birch tree or in a birch wood, from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German berke ‘birch’. German: of Slavic (Sorbian) origin, an occupational name for a collector of taxes. Slovenian: unexplained. Jewish (Ashkenazic): variant of Berg.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


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

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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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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 the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 35 Berk families living in Ontario. This was about 45% of all the recorded Berk's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Berk families in 1911.
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.
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What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Farmer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the CA named Berk. 58% of Berk men worked as a Farmer.

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.

Top Male Occupations in 1921

  • Farmer
    58%
  • Labourer
    22%
  • Laborer
    22%

Top Female Occupations in 1921

  • Farmer
    100%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Berk family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 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 Canadian census records for Berk

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Berk. 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 Berk immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 3,000 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.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Berk

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