2000
#3,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,043
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.72
Uncommon Last name
Burge
Derived from Old English "burh," referring to a person who lived in or near a fortified town or castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,999 Americans carry the last name Burge. That puts it at #3,616 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burge 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 Burge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,162
Census rank
#3,616
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,592 bearers of the surname Burge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3616th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burge
The surname Burge originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "burg," which means a fortified town or borough. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a borough or fortified settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Burge" and "Burg," referring to individuals living in various parts of the country.
During the Middle Ages, the name Burge was particularly prevalent in the counties of Wiltshire, Somerset, and Gloucestershire. Some early bearers of the name include Robert Burge, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1197, and William Burge, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Somerset in 1327.
The name Burge has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Sir John Burge (1539-1612), a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Justice of the Common Pleas during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Thomas Burge (1655-1717), an English physician and writer who published several works on medical topics, including "The Advancement of Physick" in 1700.
In the 18th century, John Burge (1731-1805) was a renowned English engraver and cartographer, known for his detailed maps and charts of various regions around the world.
The name Burge has also been associated with places and locations. For example, Burgetown, a village in Somerset, England, likely derived its name from the presence of Burge families in the area during medieval times.
Throughout history, variations in the spelling of the name have been observed, including Burg, Bourge, and Burge. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of individual scribes and record-keepers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burge
Among Census respondents with the surname Burge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Burge 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 Burge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 7,956
- Black or African American8.1% · 778
- Two or more races4.2% · 400
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 309
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 71
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burge
Burge 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
#3,447
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,364
+321 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 3.51
Rank movement Down 178 places
2020
#3,616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,592
-772 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 3.21
Rank movement Down 169 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,269 | 10,043 | 3.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,447 | 10,364 | 3.51 | +321 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 178 places |
| 2020 | #3,616 | 9,592 | 3.21 | -772 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 169 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 Burge 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 | #3,447 | #3,616 | -4.9% |
| Count | 10,364 | 9,592 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.51 | 3.21 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burge bearers went from 10,364 to 9,592 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 169 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,447 to #3,616.
FAQ
Burge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burge?
Name Census estimates that about 10,999 living Americans carry the surname Burge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,162 residents.
How common is Burge?
Burge ranks #3,616 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.21 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 9,592 people with the surname Burge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.21 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 Burge.
Has Burge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burge went from 10,364 recorded bearers to 9,592. That is a decrease of 772 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,447 to #3,616.
What does the Census say about the background of Burge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (8.1%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Burge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (7,956 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (8.1%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Burge (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 Burge mean?
Derived from Old English "burh," referring to a person who lived in or near a fortified town or castle. 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 Burge (3.21 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 Burge?
Want to know how common the surname Burge is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.