NameCensus.

UK surname

Rourke

Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruairc, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (meaning "champion" or "hero").

In the 1881 census there were 1,473 people recorded with the Rourke surname, ranking it #2,834 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,759, ranked #3,570, down from #2,834 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Edinburgh and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Wigan, Allerdale and Pembrokeshire.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Rourke is 1,883 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 19.4%.

1881 census count

1,473

Ranked #2,834

Modern count

1,759

2016, ranked #3,570

Peak year

1999

1,883 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Rourke had 1,473 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #2,834 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,759 in 2016, ranked #3,570.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,836 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Established but Challenged.

Rourke surname distribution map

The map shows where the Rourke surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Rourke surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Rourke over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 524 #4,784
1861 historical 789 #3,492
1881 historical 1,473 #2,834
1891 historical 1,525 #2,896
1901 historical 1,836 #2,863
1911 historical 1,574 #3,083
1997 modern 1,792 #3,350
1998 modern 1,832 #3,404
1999 modern 1,883 #3,347
2000 modern 1,837 #3,400
2001 modern 1,796 #3,394
2002 modern 1,842 #3,393
2003 modern 1,816 #3,371
2004 modern 1,847 #3,324
2005 modern 1,813 #3,351
2006 modern 1,793 #3,384
2007 modern 1,801 #3,402
2008 modern 1,794 #3,446
2009 modern 1,842 #3,446
2010 modern 1,862 #3,476
2011 modern 1,805 #3,523
2012 modern 1,749 #3,551
2013 modern 1,784 #3,560
2014 modern 1,807 #3,540
2015 modern 1,767 #3,567
2016 modern 1,759 #3,570

Geography

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Where Rourkes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Edinburgh, Manchester, Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry and Liverpool. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Wigan, Allerdale, Pembrokeshire, Leicester and South Ribble. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Edinburgh Edinburgh
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Dundee, Liff, Benvie and Invergowry Forfar
5 Liverpool Lancashire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Wigan 008 Wigan
2 Allerdale 011 Allerdale
3 Pembrokeshire 007 Pembrokeshire
4 Leicester 003 Leicester
5 South Ribble 017 South Ribble

Forenames

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First names often paired with Rourke

These lists show first names that appear often with the Rourke surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Rourke

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Rourke, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Established but Challenged

Nationally, the Rourke surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Established but Challenged, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Rourke household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many households in these neighbourhoods comprise separated or divorced single parents with dependent children. Residents are typically born in the UK, and these neighbourhoods have relatively few members of ethnic minorities. The prevalence of children, their parents and those at or above normal retirement age, suggests neighbourhood structures may be long-established. Levels of unpaid care are high, and long-term disability is more common than in the Supergroup as a whole. Use of the social rented sector is common, often in terraced houses. Levels of overcrowding are above the Supergroup average. Unemployment is high, while those in work are employed in elementary occupations such as caring, leisure and customer services. Many residents have low level qualifications. Neighbourhood concentrations of this Group are found in the South Wales Valleys, Belfast, Londonderry and the Central Lowlands of Scotland.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Rourke is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Rourke is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Rourke falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Rourke is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Rourke, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Rourke

The surname ROURKE is an anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Ruairc, which originated in County Leitrim, Ireland. The name derives from the old Irish word "ruarc," meaning a champion or hero.

In the early medieval period, the Ó Ruairc clan was one of the most powerful and influential families in the province of Connacht. They ruled over a large territory centered around the modern-day counties of Leitrim and Roscommon.

The name ROURKE appears in several Irish annals and chronicles dating back to the 12th century. One notable bearer of the name was Tighernan Ua Ruairc, a 12th-century king of Breifne, who is mentioned in the Annals of Ulster and the Annals of the Four Masters.

The first recorded instance of the anglicized spelling "ROURKE" dates back to the 16th century, when the English administration in Ireland began standardizing Irish surnames. The name appears in various records, such as the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the 1659 Census of Ireland.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname ROURKE. One of the earliest was John Rourke (c. 1570-1628), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who served as the Bishop of Killaloe from 1619 until his death.

Another prominent bearer of the name was John Patrick Rourke (1835-1909), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York from 1893 to 1895.

In the field of literature, the name is associated with the Irish-American novelist and short story writer Mary Rourke (1853-1938), who wrote under the pen name "The Nun of Kenmare."

In more recent times, the surname has been carried by notable figures such as the American actor Mickey Rourke (born 1952), known for his roles in films like "The Wrestler" and "Sin City," and the Irish-American baseball player John Rourke (1909-1976), who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Athletics.

The name ROURKE has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Rourke's Drift in County Leitrim, which was named after a prominent member of the Ó Ruairc clan.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Rourke families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Rourke surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 635 Rourkes recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.72x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 635 3.72x
Yorkshire 133 0.93x
Lanarkshire 125 2.68x
Middlesex 73 0.51x
Cheshire 61 1.92x
Durham 53 1.24x
Kent 41 0.83x
Surrey 41 0.58x
Angus 33 2.47x
East Lothian 32 16.78x
Midlothian 32 1.66x
Staffordshire 26 0.53x
Aberdeenshire 17 1.27x
Hampshire 15 0.51x
Stirlingshire 15 2.82x
Ayrshire 14 1.30x
Nottinghamshire 13 0.67x
Northumberland 12 0.56x
Warwickshire 11 0.30x
Berkshire 9 0.83x
Renfrewshire 9 0.81x
Cumberland 8 0.65x
Devon 8 0.27x
Monmouthshire 8 0.77x
West Lothian 8 3.69x
Leicestershire 7 0.44x
Perthshire 6 0.93x
Essex 5 0.18x
Royal Navy 5 2.91x
Sussex 4 0.16x
Derbyshire 3 0.13x
Glamorgan 3 0.12x
Shropshire 2 0.16x
Worcestershire 2 0.11x
Dorset 1 0.11x
Lincolnshire 1 0.04x
Oxfordshire 1 0.11x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.22x
Somerset 1 0.04x
Suffolk 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 110 Rourkes recorded in 1881 and an index of 10.60x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 110 10.60x
Manchester 81 10.54x
Everton 36 6.61x
Old Monkland 34 18.40x
Birkenhead 31 12.24x
Warrington 31 15.31x
Toxteth Park 29 5.01x
Barony 26 2.21x
Huddersfield 26 12.51x
Leeds 25 3.10x
Ashton Under Lyne 24 6.43x
Dewsbury 19 12.98x
Islington London 19 1.36x
Woolwich 19 10.47x
Bradford 18 5.21x
Kirkdale 18 6.26x
Oldham 18 3.26x
Aberdeen St Nicholas 17 6.81x
Govan 17 1.48x
Accrington 16 10.30x
Dundee 16 3.21x
Salford 16 3.18x
Newchurch 14 10.02x
Newton 14 10.63x
Bootle Cum Linacre 13 9.58x
Chorlton On Medlock 13 4.79x
Haddington 13 46.18x
Lochee 13 109.24x
Maryhill 13 14.26x
West Derby 13 2.60x
Farnworth 12 11.72x
Hulme 12 3.36x
Lanark 12 32.03x
West Kilbride 12 116.85x
Bothwell 11 8.71x
Darlington 11 6.65x
Edinburgh Tolbooth 10 89.05x
St Pancras London 10 0.86x
Ardwick 9 5.84x
Blantyre 9 18.56x
Bradford 9 11.25x
Camberwell 9 0.98x
Disley Stanley 9 55.01x
Epsom 9 26.32x
Lenton 9 19.69x
Reading St Mary 9 10.40x
St Marylebone London 9 1.17x
Westoe 9 3.71x
Wigan 9 3.77x
Aberystruth 8 8.72x
Ince In Makerfield 8 10.06x
Kimblesworth 8 139.62x
St Ninians 8 15.20x
Dunbar 7 26.18x
Great Bolton 7 3.09x
Leamington Priors 7 7.83x
Leicester St Margaret 7 1.80x
Newcastle Under Lyme 7 8.14x
Rotherhithe 7 3.93x
Stranton 7 4.85x
Ulverston 7 14.07x
Alverstoke 6 5.62x
Byker 6 5.67x
Campsie 6 20.59x
Castleton 6 3.52x
Cheetham 6 4.71x
Edinburgh Old Church 6 38.73x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 6 0.77x
Esh 6 19.25x
Hougham 6 20.54x
Manningham 6 3.41x
Moston 6 35.01x
Ormskirk 6 18.35x
Preston 6 1.31x
Shoreditch London 6 0.96x
St Luke London 6 2.60x
Widnes 6 4.87x
Wolstanton 6 4.06x
Wavertree 5 9.14x
Wolstanton Oldcott 5 28.41x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Rourke surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 122
Margaret 40
Elizabeth 38
Ellen 37
Catherine 35
Ann 28
Bridget 28
Jane 13
Sarah 13
Annie 12
Kate 12
Eliza 11
Julia 10
Alice 9
Margt. 9
Agnes 8
Hannah 8
Emma 7
Martha 7
Maria 6
Catharine 5
Emily 5
Matilda 5
Anne 4
Cathrine 4
Harriet 4
Jessie 4
Clara 3
Edith 3
Esther 3
Frances 3
Gertrude 3
Rose 3
Susan 3
Ada 2
Amelia 2
Amy 2
Anna 2
Caroline 2
Deborah 2
Elizth. 2
Florence 2
Harriett 2
Lizzie 2
Margreat 2
Winifred 2
Bridgett 1
Dorethine 1
Ebth. 1
Honora 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Rourke surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 100
James 81
Thomas 67
Patrick 42
Michael 41
Edward 25
William 25
Joseph 17
Hugh 13
Peter 13
Charles 12
George 12
Francis 11
Henry 8
Daniel 7
Richard 7
Andrew 6
Bernard 6
Martin 6
Owen 5
Albert 4
Arthur 4
Dennis 4
Frederick 3
Jno. 3
Thos. 3
Walter 3
Bartholomew 2
Denis 2
Edwin 2
Frank 2
Jeremiah 2
Lawrence 2
Mark 2
Mathew 2
Stephen 2
Terence 2
Tom 2
Wm. 2
Barnet 1
Bartholemew 1
Chas. 1
Chas.C. 1
Chas.L. 1
Edmund 1
Ernest 1
F. 1
Farrell 1
Felix 1
Luke 1

FAQ

Rourke surname: questions and answers

How common was the Rourke surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,473 people were recorded with the Rourke surname. That placed it at #2,834 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Rourke surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,759 in 2016. That gives Rourke a modern rank of #3,570.

What does the Rourke surname mean?

Derived from the Irish surname Ó Ruairc, meaning "descendant of Ruarc" (meaning "champion" or "hero").

What does the Rourke map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Rourke bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.