Berkey
A surname most likely tied to the Swiss-German name Bürki, ultimately from a word for a hill or mound.
The #9,262 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 87,837 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Berkey is likely an Americanized form of the Swiss-German surname Bürki, as suggested by historical surname comparison. Bürki is commonly understood as a diminutive or derivative of German words related to a hill or small rise, ultimately connected with berg meaning "mountain" or "hill." In that sense, the name would originally have described someone living near a hill or coming from a hilly place.
History
In North America, Berkey appears to have developed as a spelling adapted from Swiss or German immigrant names, especially in communities where German surnames were reshaped in English records. The historical excerpt directly links Berkey with Bürki, supporting a Swiss-German origin rather than an English one. As with many immigrant surnames, several spellings could coexist in records before one became standard.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The ending -key in Berkey is not necessarily a separate name element; in many immigrant surnames it reflects English spelling habits applied to a German sound.
From the historical record
“Bergstresser, p. 314 Berkemeyer, p. 310 Berkey = Biirki, 326”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names