Burd last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Burd

An English surname derived from the Middle English word "brid," meaning a young bird or a maiden.

Burd, 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 Burd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burd in America

Burd is the 5607th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burd surname appeared 6,202 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Burd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burd 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5607 4986 11.72%
Count 6,202 6,461 -4.09%
Proportion per 100k 2.10 2.40 -13.33%

The history of the last name Burd

The surname Burd originated from England during the medieval period, deriving from an Old English word "bridd" meaning a young bird or chick. It was initially used as a nickname for someone who was small or perhaps had a youthful appearance.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated around 1273, which mentions a person named William Brid. Over time, the spelling evolved to Burd, as seen in records from the 14th century.

In the Domesday Book, a survey of England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, there are several entries that may be related to the surname, such as "Bridia" and "Bridham," which could have been place names or personal names that eventually evolved into the surname Burd.

The Burd family had a presence in various parts of England, particularly in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas. One notable figure was William Burd, born in 1550 in Arncliffe, Yorkshire, who served as a Member of Parliament for Aldborough in 1593.

Another individual of note was Sir John Burd, born in 1616 in Lancashire, who was knighted in 1660 for his loyalty to King Charles II during the English Civil War. He later became a prominent landowner and served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1671.

In Scotland, the surname Burd can be traced back to the 15th century, with records mentioning individuals such as Robert Burd, who lived in Aberdeen in the 1480s, and John Burd, who was a burgess (a town resident with certain privileges) of Edinburgh in 1526.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Burd was George Burd, born in 1688 in Wiltshire, England. He was a renowned architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings, including St. Mary's Church in Nottingham and the chapel at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Another noteworthy figure was Samuel Burd, born in 1726 in Pennsylvania, who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He played a significant role in the defense of Fort Ligonier and was commended for his bravery and leadership.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burd

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

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 Burd was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 86.68% 5,376
Non-Hispanic Black Only 8.37% 519
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.44% 27
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.45% 90
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.24% 77
Hispanic Origin 1.82% 113

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 Burd has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 86.68% 86.95% -0.31%
Black 8.37% 8.87% -5.80%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.44% 0.36% 20.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.45% 1.05% 32.00%
Two or More Races 1.24% 1.56% -22.86%
Hispanic 1.82% 1.21% 40.26%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Burd last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burd-surname-popularity/.

"Burd last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burd-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Burd last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/burd-surname-popularity/.

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