Burkhardt
A German surname from the old personal name Burkhard, meaning “strong fortress” or “firm protection.”
The #4,080 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 35,459 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Burkhardt is a surname taken from the medieval German given name Burkhard, from Old High German elements meaning “fortress, protection” and “hard, strong, brave.” In other words, the name originally meant something like “strong protector” or “hardy fortress-guardian.” The final -t in Burkhardt is a later spelling variant; the older name also appears as Burkhard, Burkert, and related forms.
History
This surname belongs to a widespread German naming family built from the old given name Burkhard, which was common across German-speaking areas in the Middle Ages. The spelling with -dt/-t is one of several regional and later orthographic variants. In the United States, the name is borne by a modest number of families, reflecting German immigration and later anglicization in some branches.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same medieval name family produced both Burkhard and the more famous Burckhardt spelling used by several notable Swiss and German families.
From the historical record
“einer unserer Namen zu finden, der mit b und d anfinge, und nicht auch mit p und t geschrieben wurde, (Bosch, Posch, Betzl, Petzl, Burkhardt, Purkhart^ Dätzl, Tätzl, Dresch, Träsch), allein, da b und p, d und t im Anlaute schon seit Jahrhunderten nicht mehr unterschieden werden und da die jetzige Schreibung der…”
— Die oberdeutschen Familiennamen