2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Burey
A locative surname derived from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 260 Americans carry the last name Burey. That puts it at #87,947 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,318,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burey 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
260
1 in 1,318,286
Census rank
#87,947
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
227
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 227 bearers of the surname Burey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87947th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Hispanic (11.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burey
The surname BUREY originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the old village of Bury in the county of Lancashire. The name is thought to have been taken on by those who hailed from this settlement, with the suffix "-ey" being added to denote a resident of Bury.
The earliest recorded instances of the BUREY surname can be found in various tax rolls and parish records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is a reference to a William de Bury in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1285. This suggests that the name had already been adopted by that point.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the village of Bury is listed under the spelling "Buri," indicating that the name has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon era. The name may also be related to the Old English word "byrig," which means a fortified place or town.
One of the earliest known bearers of the BUREY surname was Sir Thomas Bury, a prominent English judge who lived from around 1350 to 1416. He served as Chief Baron of the Exchequer and played a significant role in the judicial system during the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV.
Another notable figure was Richard Bury, who was born in 1287 and served as the Bishop of Durham from 1333 until his death in 1345. He was a renowned scholar and bibliophile, and his extensive collection of books formed the basis of the library at Durham Cathedral.
In the 16th century, Sir John Bury was a prominent English soldier and politician who served as Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire. He was born around 1510 and played a vital role in the English Reformation under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, Edward Bury was a respected English clergyman and author, best known for his work "The Doctrine of the Sabbath." He was born in 1616 and served as the Rector of Great Stambridge in Essex.
In the 19th century, Lady Charlotte Bury was a notable English author and traveler. She was born in 1775 and wrote several books about her travels throughout Europe and the Middle East, including "A Diary Illustrative of the Times of George IV."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burey
Among Census respondents with the surname Burey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Hispanic (11.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Burey 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 Burey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.3% · 146
- White19.8% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 26
- Two or more races4.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burey
Burey 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
#99,845
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 181
+49 bearers (+37.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 21,213 places
2020
#87,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 227
+46 bearers (+25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 11,898 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,845 | 181 | 0.06 | +49 bearers (+37.1%) | Up 21,213 places |
| 2020 | #87,947 | 227 | 0.08 | +46 bearers (+25.4%) | Up 11,898 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 Burey 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 | #99,845 | #87,947 | 11.9% |
| Count | 181 | 227 | 25.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.08 | 26.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burey bearers went from 181 to 227 (+25.4% change). The surname moved up 11,898 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,845 to #87,947.
FAQ
Burey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burey?
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the surname Burey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,318,286 residents.
How common is Burey?
Burey ranks #87,947 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 227 people with the surname Burey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Burey.
Has Burey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burey went from 181 recorded bearers to 227. That is an increase of 46 (+25.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #99,845 to #87,947.
What does the Census say about the background of Burey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burey, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.8%) and Hispanic (11.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Burey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.3% (146 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.3%), White (19.8%), Hispanic (11.5%). 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 Burey (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 Burey mean?
A locative surname derived from a place name in England. 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 Burey (0.08 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 Burey?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Burey, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.