Burkett
An English surname with several possible roots, most likely a diminutive or variant related to Burk or Burke.
The #1,852 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 15,940 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Burkett is usually treated as a variant surname rather than a single clear-cut name with one fixed origin. It may be a diminutive form built on Burk/Burk(e), or a spelling shaped by later English sound and spelling changes around names like Burke and Burkhard. Because the historical record shows it alongside several similar surnames, the exact source can differ by family line.
History
The name appears in 19th-century surname lists as a related form of Burk, Burke, Burkhard, and similar names, which suggests that it was understood as part of a broader family of surnames rather than a separate, sharply defined form. In English-speaking records it is found mainly as a variant spelling, and the modern distribution in the United States reflects that kind of mixed historical development.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In older reference works, Burkett is often listed only in chains of related surnames, a clue that its history was already seen as tangled and variant-based.
From the historical record
“BURKITT. BURKETT. See Borlase. BURKIT.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom