2000
#1,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,959
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.66
Uncommon Last name
Burkett
An English occupational surname for a shepherd or someone who kept sheep.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,395 Americans carry the last name Burkett. That puts it at #1,980 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,806 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burkett 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 Burkett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,806
Census rank
#1,980
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,785 bearers of the surname Burkett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1980th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burkett
The surname Burkett is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words "burh" meaning "fortified town" and "ket" meaning "cottager" or "small farmer." This suggests that the name initially referred to individuals who resided in or near a fortified town or borough.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burkett can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and wealth in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Burkettus, residing in the county of Essex.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as Burket, Burkett, and Burkette. These variations were likely due to inconsistencies in record-keeping and the influence of local dialects.
In the 14th century, the name Burkett was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was John Burkett, a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of York, who was born around 1320. Another was William Burkett, a prominent cleric and scholar who served as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1363 to 1390.
The 15th century saw the emergence of several Burkett families in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. These families often derived their names from the places they inhabited, such as Burkett's Green in Gloucestershire and Burkett's Farm in Wiltshire.
In the 16th century, the name Burkett gained further prominence with individuals like Thomas Burkett (1519-1585), a successful wool merchant and benefactor of the town of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Another notable figure was Elizabeth Burkett (1548-1624), a renowned herbalist and midwife from the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, who was contemporaneous with William Shakespeare.
The 17th century witnessed the birth of several distinguished Burketts, including Sir John Burkett (1620-1692), a prominent lawyer and member of the English Parliament, and Robert Burkett (1643-1715), an influential theologian and author of several religious treatises.
As the centuries progressed, the name Burkett continued to be associated with various professions and fields, from agriculture and trade to academia and politics. Some notable figures include John Burkett (1764-1842), a respected agriculturist and pioneer of modern farming techniques, and Mary Burkett (1815-1892), a celebrated author and poet from the county of Derbyshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burkett
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Burkett 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 Burkett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.2% · 14,794
- Black or African American8.4% · 1,494
- Two or more races4.2% · 740
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 540
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 116
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 101
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burkett
Burkett 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
#1,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,369
+1,410 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 6.57
Rank movement Down 15 places
2020
#1,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,785
-1,584 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 5.95
Rank movement Down 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,837 | 17,959 | 6.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,852 | 19,369 | 6.57 | +1,410 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 15 places |
| 2020 | #1,980 | 17,785 | 5.95 | -1,584 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 128 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 Burkett 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 | #1,852 | #1,980 | -6.9% |
| Count | 19,369 | 17,785 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 6.57 | 5.95 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burkett bearers went from 19,369 to 17,785 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,852 to #1,980.
FAQ
Burkett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burkett?
Name Census estimates that about 20,395 living Americans carry the surname Burkett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,806 residents.
How common is Burkett?
Burkett ranks #1,980 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,785 people with the surname Burkett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,395), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Burkett.
Has Burkett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burkett went from 19,369 recorded bearers to 17,785. That is a decrease of 1,584 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,852 to #1,980.
What does the Census say about the background of Burkett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burkett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) 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 Burkett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.2% (14,794 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burkett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.2%), Black (8.4%), 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 Burkett (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 Burkett mean?
An English occupational surname for a shepherd or someone who kept sheep. 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 Burkett (5.95 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 Burkett?
Want to know how many people have the last name Burkett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.