2000
#4,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Rare Last name
Burchett
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "birch tree cottage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,751 Americans carry the last name Burchett. That puts it at #4,520 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,167 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burchett 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 Burchett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,167
Census rank
#4,520
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,631 bearers of the surname Burchett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4520th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burchett, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burchett
The surname Burchett is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "burh" meaning "fortified dwelling" and "cet" meaning "cottage" or "hut." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a small dwelling near a fortified town or castle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burchett can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Burchet" in this famous manuscript, indicating its presence in England during the Norman period.
The Burchett surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Burchett's Green in Berkshire and Burchetts Farm in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the Burchett surname who once resided or owned land in these areas.
One notable bearer of the Burchett name was Sir John Burchett (1653-1726), an English naval officer and author who served as the Secretary of the Admiralty. He wrote several works on naval history and maritime affairs during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
Another prominent figure with the Burchett surname was Richard Burchett (1815-1875), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and coastal landscapes. His works were exhibited at the Royal Academy and other prestigious galleries during the Victorian era.
In the 16th century, the Burchett family held lands in the county of Wiltshire, as evidenced by the mention of a William Burchett in records from 1564. This suggests that the family had established roots in this region during the Tudor period.
The Burchett name can also be found in various spellings throughout history, such as Burchitt, Burchitt, and Burchytt. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects, phonetic interpretations, and the inconsistencies in record-keeping practices of the time.
Other notable individuals bearing the Burchett surname include Nellie Burchett (1889-1964), an Australian author and journalist known for her work on women's issues and social reform, and David Burchett (born 1932), a British naval officer who served as the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff from 1986 to 1989.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burchett
Among Census respondents with the surname Burchett, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Burchett 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 Burchett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 6,577
- Black or African American6.0% · 456
- Two or more races3.9% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burchett
Burchett 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
#4,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,318
+339 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 157 places
2020
#4,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,631
-687 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 250 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,113 | 7,979 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,270 | 8,318 | 2.82 | +339 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 157 places |
| 2020 | #4,520 | 7,631 | 2.55 | -687 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 250 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 Burchett 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 | #4,270 | #4,520 | -5.9% |
| Count | 8,318 | 7,631 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.55 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burchett bearers went from 8,318 to 7,631 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 250 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,270 to #4,520.
FAQ
Burchett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burchett?
Name Census estimates that about 8,751 living Americans carry the surname Burchett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,167 residents.
How common is Burchett?
Burchett ranks #4,520 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,631 people with the surname Burchett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Burchett.
Has Burchett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burchett went from 8,318 recorded bearers to 7,631. That is a decrease of 687 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,270 to #4,520.
What does the Census say about the background of Burchett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burchett, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Burchett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (6,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burchett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Burchett (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 Burchett mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "birch tree cottage." 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 Burchett (2.55 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 common is the surname Burchett?
If you just want to know how common the surname Burchett is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.