Burr
A diminutive form of the name Burton meaning "fortified town".
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the first name Burr. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Burr today is around 75 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burr births was 1916 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burr. 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 Burr is about 75 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Burrs were born before 1961.
People living today
202
~ 1 in 1,696,804 Americans
Peak year
1916
23 babies that year
Average age
75
years old
1976 SSA rank
#5,712
Tracked since 1880
Popularity
Burr: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Burr from the 1880s through to the 1970s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 167 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
Burr 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 Burr during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Burrs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Burr
The given name Burr has its origins in Old English, deriving from the word "byrre," which means "a thick, immovable object or mass." This name is believed to have emerged during the 7th to 12th centuries in England.
Burr was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was considered solid, sturdy, or immovable in character. It also had connections to the Old Norse word "byrr," meaning "favourable wind," which could symbolize strength or good fortune.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burr can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including "Bur" and "Bure."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Burr. One of the most famous was Aaron Burr (1756-1836), an American politician and lawyer who served as the third Vice President of the United States under Thomas Jefferson. He is best known for his duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804, which resulted in Hamilton's death.
Another prominent figure with the name Burr was William Hubert Burr (1851-1934), an American mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to the field of statistics. He is particularly renowned for his work on probability distributions and his influential textbook, "Elementary Course in the Theory of Probability."
In the literary world, Amelia Burr (1878-1968), an American novelist and playwright, gained recognition for her works exploring themes of social justice and women's rights. Her novel "The Autobiography of a Princess" was a bestseller in the early 20th century.
Raymond Burr (1917-1993), an acclaimed Canadian-American actor, is remembered for his iconic portrayal of the defense attorney Perry Mason in the popular television series of the same name, which ran from 1957 to 1966.
Additionally, Millard Burr (1924-2011), an American engineer and inventor, played a pivotal role in the development of the first successful artificial heart valve, which revolutionized cardiac surgery and saved countless lives.
The name Burr, with its strong and resilient connotations, has been carried by individuals across various fields throughout history, leaving an indelible mark on their respective domains.
People
Burr + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burr 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
Burr: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burr?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 202 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burr 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 1,696,804 US residents.
Is Burr a common name?
We classify Burr as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 803 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Burr most popular?
The single biggest year for Burr was 1916, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burr is about 75 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Burr a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Burr 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.
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.