2000
#8,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Burdine
A French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the dune" or "near the fortress."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,978 Americans carry the last name Burdine. That puts it at #9,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burdine 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
4.0K
1 in 86,162
Census rank
#9,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,469 bearers of the surname Burdine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burdine, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burdine
The surname Burdine is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the northern regions near the English Channel. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "burdun," which referred to a pilgrim's staff or walking stick. This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who carried such a staff, perhaps a pilgrim or traveler.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burdine can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This entry suggests that the name had already made its way to England by the 11th century, likely carried by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Burdun, Burdon, and Bourdon, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations. Some of these spellings may have also been influenced by place names, as the name Bourdon is associated with several villages in northern France.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Robert Burdone served as the Bishop of Bath and Wells in England from 1275 to 1292. His prominence during this period likely contributed to the wider recognition and use of the surname Burdine.
Another noteworthy individual was Jean Bourdon, a French explorer and cartographer born in 1612 in Rouen, France. He is renowned for his expeditions and mapping of the Great Lakes region in what is now Canada and the United States.
In the 18th century, a French philosopher and writer named Claude Bourdelon (1617-1699) gained recognition for his works, including the novel "Le Philosophe Marié" (The Married Philosopher).
Moving into the 19th century, John Burdine (1825-1902) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Kentucky. He made significant contributions to education and helped establish several schools in his home state.
Finally, one of the more recent notable individuals with the surname Burdine was the American attorney and civil rights activist Zephyr Burdine (1925-2019), who played a crucial role in the desegregation of public schools in North Carolina during the 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burdine
Among Census respondents with the surname Burdine, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Burdine 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 Burdine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.8% · 2,595
- Black or African American17.0% · 590
- Two or more races4.8% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burdine
Burdine 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
#8,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,802
+265 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#9,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,469
-333 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 390 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,571 | 3,537 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,648 | 3,802 | 1.29 | +265 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #9,038 | 3,469 | 1.16 | -333 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 390 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 Burdine 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 | #8,648 | #9,038 | -4.5% |
| Count | 3,802 | 3,469 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.16 | -10.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burdine bearers went from 3,802 to 3,469 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 390 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,648 to #9,038.
FAQ
Burdine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burdine?
Name Census estimates that about 3,978 living Americans carry the surname Burdine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,162 residents.
How common is Burdine?
Burdine ranks #9,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,469 people with the surname Burdine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,978), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Burdine.
Has Burdine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burdine went from 3,802 recorded bearers to 3,469. That is a decrease of 333 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,648 to #9,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Burdine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burdine, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.8%. The next largest groups are Black (17.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Burdine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.8% (2,595 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burdine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.8%), Black (17.0%), Two or More Races (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 Burdine (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 Burdine mean?
A French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "by the dune" or "near the fortress." 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 Burdine (1.16 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 last name Burdine?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Burdine is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.