Find out how popular the last name Borough is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Borough.

Borough, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Borough surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Borough in America

Borough is the 81181st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Borough surname appeared 233 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Borough.

We can also compare 2010 data for Borough to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Borough

The surname Borough originates from England and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "burh," meaning a fortified town or borough. The name likely referred to people who lived in or were associated with a particular borough or town.

The earliest known record of the surname Borough appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Burgensis," which was the Latin form of the word "borough."

In the 12th century, the name was often spelled "Burgh" or "Burg," reflecting the different dialects and regional variations in pronunciation. By the 13th century, the spelling "Borough" became more common, and it was used consistently throughout England.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Borough was Sir John Borough, who lived in the 14th century and served as a member of the English parliament. Another notable figure was Sir John Borough, who was born in 1457 and served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1515 to 1516.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Borough surname was particularly prevalent in the English counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, where many towns and villages carried the name "Borough" or variations of it, such as Boroughbridge and Boroughbury.

In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the surname Borough was Sir James Borough, an English naval officer and explorer who was born in 1751 and served as the Governor of Newfoundland from 1789 to 1791.

Another notable figure was Sir Edward Borough, who was born in 1636 and served as the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1689 to 1699.

The surname Borough has also been associated with various place names throughout England, including Borough Green in Kent, Borough Fen in Cambridgeshire, and Borough Hill in Bedfordshire, further reinforcing its connection to towns and settlements.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Borough

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Borough.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Borough was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Borough has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Borough was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Borough, please contact us.

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