2000
#5,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,302
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.97
Rare Last name
Burgin
Derived from a place name meaning "fortified town" or "castle," originating from Old English "burh" and "ing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,675 Americans carry the last name Burgin. That puts it at #6,570 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burgin 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 Burgin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.7K
1 in 60,397
Census rank
#6,570
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,949 bearers of the surname Burgin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6570th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burgin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burgin
The surname Burgin is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "burga" or "burg," which means a fortified town or borough. It likely originated in the early medieval period, when surnames first came into use in England.
Burgin is thought to have been an occupational surname, initially given to someone who lived or worked in a borough or fortified town. It could also have been a locational surname, referring to someone who hailed from a place called Burg or a similarly named location.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Burgin can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a William Burgyn from Oxfordshire. The Pipe Rolls of 1230 also reference a Robert de Burgo from Norfolk.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Burghyn, Burgyn, and Burgoin, reflecting the different regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. Some of these early spellings may have been influenced by the Norman-French word "bourg," meaning a small town or village.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Burgin was John Burgin, a merchant and alderman who lived in London in the late 15th century (c. 1450-1510). Another historical figure was Richard Burgin, a member of the Parliament of England during the reign of King Henry VIII (c. 1480-1545).
In the 16th century, the name Burgin was associated with several places in England, such as Burgyn's Bury in Oxfordshire and Burgin's Court in Hampshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname Burgin who lived or held land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Burgin include:
1. Thomas Burgin (c. 1635-1705), an English philosopher and clergyman.
2. George Burgin (1786-1854), a British architect known for designing several churches in London.
3. Elizabeth Burgin (1854-1941), an American social reformer and advocate for women's rights.
4. John Burgin (1905-1975), a British painter and printmaker associated with the Surrealist movement.
5. Richard Burgin (b. 1947), an American author and academic, known for his works of fiction and non-fiction.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burgin
Among Census respondents with the surname Burgin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Burgin 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 Burgin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 3,836
- Black or African American13.0% · 644
- Two or more races5.1% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 162
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burgin
Burgin 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
#6,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,453
+151 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 287 places
2020
#6,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,949
-504 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.66
Rank movement Down 305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,978 | 5,302 | 1.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,265 | 5,453 | 1.85 | +151 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 287 places |
| 2020 | #6,570 | 4,949 | 1.66 | -504 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 305 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 Burgin 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 | #6,265 | #6,570 | -4.9% |
| Count | 5,453 | 4,949 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.66 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burgin bearers went from 5,453 to 4,949 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 305 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,265 to #6,570.
FAQ
Burgin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burgin?
Name Census estimates that about 5,675 living Americans carry the surname Burgin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,397 residents.
How common is Burgin?
Burgin ranks #6,570 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,949 people with the surname Burgin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,675), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Burgin.
Has Burgin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burgin went from 5,453 recorded bearers to 4,949. That is a decrease of 504 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,265 to #6,570.
What does the Census say about the background of Burgin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burgin, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Black (13.0%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Burgin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (3,836 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burgin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Black (13.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Burgin (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 Burgin mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "fortified town" or "castle," originating from Old English "burh" and "ing." 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 Burgin (1.66 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 are called Burgin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Burgin is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.