Berk Family History

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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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Berk Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Berk name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Berk. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • European Jewish

    40%

  • England & Wales

    19%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    10%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    7%

  • Germanic Europe

    6%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Berk Family Origin

Where is the Berk family from?

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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.

View Census Data for Berk

Berk Family Occupations

What did your Berk ancestors do for a living?

In 1881, the most common Berk occupation in Canada was Millhand. 100% of Berk's were Millhands.

View Census data for Berk | Data not to scale

  • Millhand

    100%

Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Berk ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

Berk Historical Records

What Berk family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Berk. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Berkcensus records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search 1881 Canadian census records for Berk

Passenger List

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 Card

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

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Berk Life Expectancy

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

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Berk 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.

Famous Berk Family Ancestors

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