Burlie
A diminutive form of the English surname Burley, derived from a place name.
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Burlie. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 77.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Burlie today is around 88 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burlie births was 1918 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burlie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Burlie is about 88 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Burlies were born before 1948.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Burlie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1918
22 babies that year
Average age
88
years old
1949 SSA rank
#3,754
Tracked since 1905
Gender
Gender distribution for Burlie
Burlie is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 179 total registrations, 139 (77.7%) were male and 40 (22.3%) were female.
Burlie as a male name
- Ranked #3,754 in 1949
- 5 male births in 1949
- Peak: 1918 (12 births)
Burlie as a female name
- Ranked #4,061 in 1922
- 7 female births in 1922
- Peak: 1918 (10 births)
Popularity
Burlie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Burlie from the 1900s through to the 1940s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 65 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Burlie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Burlie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Burlies live
Origin
Meaning and history of Burlie
The name Burlie is believed to have originated from the Old English language, specifically from the word "burh" which means "a fortified place" or "a castle." This suggests that the name may have been derived from an occupation or a place name associated with a fortified settlement or a castle.
In the early Middle Ages, between the 5th and 11th centuries, the name Burlie was relatively common in parts of England, particularly in the regions where Old English was spoken. It was often used as a surname or a byname to identify an individual's place of origin or occupation related to a fortified settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burlie can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Burlie or variations of it, such as Burleigh or Burleigh.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the first name Burlie. One of the earliest recorded examples is Burlie of Colchester, a 12th-century English monk and chronicler who wrote a historical account of the Abbey of St. John the Baptist in Colchester, Essex.
Another notable figure was Burlie de Montfort, a 13th-century English nobleman and military leader who participated in the Barons' War against King Henry III. He was born around 1215 and played a significant role in the conflict before his death in 1265.
In the 16th century, Burlie Wycliffe was an English scholar and theologian who was instrumental in the translation of the Bible into English. He was born around 1520 and is known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation in England.
During the Tudor period, Burlie Cavendish was an English noblewoman and a close friend of Queen Elizabeth I. She was born in 1555 and served as a lady-in-waiting to the Queen, playing an important role in the court until her death in 1624.
Finally, Burlie Marlowe was an English playwright and poet who lived during the Elizabethan era. Born in 1564, he is best known for his plays such as "The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus" and "Tamburlaine the Great." He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare and is considered one of the most influential figures in English Renaissance literature until his death in 1593.
People
Burlie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burlie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Burlie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burlie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burlie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Burlie a common name?
We classify Burlie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 179 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Burlie most popular?
The single biggest year for Burlie was 1918, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burlie is about 88 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Burlie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Burlie a male name?
Yes, 77.7% of people registered as Burlie in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Burlie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Burlie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Burlie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Burlie?
Find out how many Americans are named Burlie on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.