Hello to all;
I have just asked for, and been appointed, Adn\ministrator on this Board for "deBurgh". As they names are all the same family, I though I would start the ball rolling, by encouraging anuone who has the names "deBurgh" or "deBurgo" or "Burke" or "Bourke' in their family, to understand that they are all the same family, only difference being that the name underwent some major changes because of the influence of the four cultures that affected this family.

We started in Normandy, when the commander of the Kings fortified towns, Jean, Viscount de Conteville, Baron of Tonsbourg, was given the name "deBourg"-French for "fortified towns".

Two generations later, his grandsons, Robert (now Count of Moretain) and Odo (Bishop of Bayeaux) accompanied their half-brother, William the Conqueror, to England in 1066. They were soon called "deBurgo" (Latin version of the name, as Latin was the language used in all official notices etc); But the Saxons (or Anglo-Saxons as we call them today) could not handle the pronunciation of this word, so they called them "deBurgh" (which was their word for "Fortified tonws!!).

Three generations later, when William FitzAdelm deBurgo/deBurgh arrived in Irelans, in1177,he was given large tracts of land in the West (now called Connaught) and his children consolidated their positions there, as well as in Munster, Clare, and several other counties. The Irish soon started calling them "deBurca" (Gaelic) and still do, but it got shortened to "Burke" in Galway (Earls of Clanricarde,) and "Bourke" in Mayo(Earls of Mayo). The branch that moved into Ulster (Earls of Ulster from 1243-1333 ) used the name "deBurgh", to separate themselves from the Connaught branches.Branches that moved out into SW Ireland, are mixed between Burke and Bourke, but the overwhelming majority are "Burke".

It is estimated that over 5,000 households in Ireland are under the name "Burke" 500+ under "Bourke", and 150+ under the name "deBurgh" . There are no figures on the Hussey-deBurgh stem, but there are not many families remaining in Ireland with this name.
I have a great deal of information, gathered over the past 22 years, about this illustrious family; Goes back to their descent from Charlemagne, Holy Roman Emperor in the 9th century. Hope that I can be of help to any and all ? That what this Board is here for!!