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

Burchell, 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 Burchell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burchell in America

Burchell is the 10708th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burchell surname appeared 2,984 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Burchell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burchell 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 Burchell

The surname Burchell originated in England and dates back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "burh" meaning a fortified place or town, and "hyll" meaning a hill, thus implying someone who lived on a hill near a town or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burchell can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where a William de Burchull is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls were administrative records maintained by the English crown in the 13th century.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as Burchulle, Burchill, and Burchyll, reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time. The name is also believed to have originated from the place name Burchill in Berkshire, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

One notable bearer of the Burchell surname was Sir John Burchell (1553-1631), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Gloucester in the early 17th century. Another was William Burchell (1782-1863), a renowned English explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in southern Africa and made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology.

In the 16th century, the surname Burchell was found in the records of the Subsidy Rolls for Oxfordshire, indicating the presence of families with this name in that county. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records maintained by the English government.

Other notable individuals with the surname Burchell include Jonathan Burchell (1752-1841), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, and Richard Burchell (1815-1863), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of Canada.

While the surname Burchell is not among the most common surnames in England, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, explorers, military personnel, and politicians.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burchell

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

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 Burchell 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 Burchell 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 Burchell was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!