2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Burall
A variant of Borrell, a French surname derived from the Germanic personal name Burhilo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Burall. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burall surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Burall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burall
The surname Burall is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated in the county of Suffolk, where it was derived from a topographic name for someone who lived near a small stream or rivulet, known as a "burr" or "bore" in Old English.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record from 1273, which mentions a John de la Bure. This spelling variation suggests a connection to the word "bore" and its association with a small watercourse.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various forms such as Burre, Bore, Bure, and Boor, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions of the time. These variations were often influenced by the local pronunciation and the scribes' interpretation of the name.
The Burall surname has a rich history, with notable individuals bearing this name throughout the centuries. One such figure was William Burall, a prominent merchant from London who lived during the 16th century and was actively involved in the Levant Company, which traded with the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable bearer of the Burall name was John Burall, a painter and engraver who flourished in the late 17th century. His works were highly regarded, and he is particularly known for his skillful engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
In the 18th century, the name gained prominence in the literary world with the birth of Thomas Burall (1732-1805), a renowned poet and playwright from Gloucestershire. His works were widely acclaimed and celebrated during his lifetime, cementing his place in the annals of English literature.
Moving into the 19th century, the Burall surname was associated with the world of academia and science. One notable figure was Professor Charles Burall (1824-1892), a distinguished botanist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life and published several influential works on the subject.
The name Burall has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Burall Green in Suffolk and Burall Farm in Gloucestershire, further reinforcing its connection to the local geography and topography.
While the Burall surname may not be as common today as it once was, its rich history and diverse representations across various fields and time periods serve as a testament to the enduring legacy of this English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burall
Among Census respondents with the surname Burall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Burall bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Burall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 92
- Two or more races5.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burall
Burall appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-5 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,854 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13,854 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Burall surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burall bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Burall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burall?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Burall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Burall?
Burall ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Burall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Burall.
Has Burall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burall went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Burall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burall, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Burall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Burall (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Burall mean?
A variant of Borrell, a French surname derived from the Germanic personal name Burhilo. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Burall (0.03 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Burall?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.