An English and Irish surname, Bourke was originally a form of the name Burke. It refers to a protected hill or manor. Variations in spelling Bourke include Burke, de Burgh, Burk, Gillick and Bourk. Many families of County Mayo and County Galway in Ireland carry the Bourke surname, many dating back to the 12th century. In northern England the Bourke surname is in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Durham counties. Also Bourke is popular in the city of London. The Scottish counties of Perthshire, Lanarkshire, Angus and Renfrewshire have many Bourke families. In the United States many Bourke individuals live in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, California and Louisiana. Famous: Rick Bourke (professional rugby player from Australia), Jamie Bourke (professional ice hockey player from Australia), Russell Bourke (inventor of the Bourke two stroke engine), Edmund Bourke (a Danish diplomat who negated the treaty between the United Kingdom / Sweden and Denmark / Norway in 1814) and Thomas Bourke (a rugby player of Australia in the 1930s and 1940s).