Burke County is a county on the north edge of the U.S. state of North Dakota, adjacent to the south line of Canada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,201. The county seat is Bowbells. The county is named after John Burke, the tenth Governor of North Dakota.

John Burke was an American lawyer, jurist, and political leader from North Dakota who served as the 10th governor of North Dakota from 1907 to 1913, and later served as the 24th treasurer of the United States under President Woodrow Wilson from 1913 to 1921. Following his term as treasurer, he subsequently served intermittently as Chief Justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court first from 1929 to 1931, then from 1935 until his death in 1937.