2000
#891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 35,521
First available Census row
Per 100,000 13.17
Uncommon Last name
Burch
Derived from Old English "bur�" or "burg," referring to a person who lived near or worked at a fortress or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 39,583 Americans carry the last name Burch. That puts it at #994 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 11.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 8,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burch 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Burch with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
40K
1 in 8,659
Census rank
#994
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
11.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
35K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 34,518 bearers of the surname Burch in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 11.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 994th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burch
The surname BURCH is of Anglo-Saxon English origin, deriving from the Old English word "burh" meaning a fortified town or borough. It was initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived in or near a borough.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name BURCH dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Burch". It is believed to have referred to someone from the town of Burgh in Norfolk or Burgh in Suffolk.
The name BURCH has several spelling variations throughout history, including Burgh, Burghe, Burrowes, and Burrows. These variations were influenced by regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.
In the 13th century, the surname BURCH can be found in records such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, where a William de Burgh is mentioned in 1273. This suggests that the name was well-established in various parts of England by that time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname BURCH include:
1. Hubert de Burgh (c. 1170 – 1243), an influential English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports under King John and Henry III.
2. William Burgh (c. 1520 – 1599), an English scholar and religious writer who served as the first Master of Gresham College in London.
3. Elizabeth Burgh (c. 1578 – 1654), an English botanist and herbalist, who was one of the first women to achieve recognition in the field of botany.
4. James Burgh (1714 – 1775), a Scottish moral philosopher and educational writer, best known for his work "The Dignity of Human Nature".
5. John Burgh (1739 – 1808), an English politician and writer, who served as a Member of Parliament for Ipswich and was a vocal supporter of parliamentary reform.
The name BURCH also has connections to various place names in England, such as Burgh St. Peter in Norfolk, Burgh-on-Sands in Cumbria, and Burgh-by-Sands in Cumbria, further emphasizing its geographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burch
Among Census respondents with the surname Burch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Burch 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 Burch surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 26,076
- Black or African American15.1% · 5,217
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,592
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 1,170
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 247
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 216
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burch
Burch 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
#958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 36,269
+748 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 12.30
Rank movement Down 67 places
2020
#994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 34,518
-1,751 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 11.55
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #891 | 35,521 | 13.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #958 | 36,269 | 12.30 | +748 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 67 places |
| 2020 | #994 | 34,518 | 11.55 | -1,751 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 36 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 Burch 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 | #958 | #994 | -3.8% |
| Count | 36,269 | 34,518 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 12.30 | 11.55 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burch bearers went from 36,269 to 34,518 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #958 to #994.
FAQ
Burch surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burch?
Name Census estimates that about 39,583 living Americans carry the surname Burch. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 8,659 residents.
How common is Burch?
Burch ranks #994 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 11.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 12 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 34,518 people with the surname Burch. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (39,583), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 11.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 11.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 12 of them to have the surname Burch.
Has Burch become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burch went from 36,269 recorded bearers to 34,518. That is a decrease of 1,751 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #958 to #994.
What does the Census say about the background of Burch?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burch, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Burch in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (26,076 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burch appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Burch (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 Burch mean?
Derived from Old English "bur�" or "burg," referring to a person who lived near or worked at a fortress or town. 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 Burch (11.55 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 people have the surname Burch?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.