Burmaster last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Burmaster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Burmaster.

Meaning of Burmaster

A surname meaning a municipal officer responsible for administration in a borough or town.

Burmaster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Burmaster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burmaster in America

Burmaster is the 38155th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burmaster surname appeared 581 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burmaster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burmaster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 38155 36276 5.05%
Count 581 583 -0.34%
Proportion per 100k 0.20 0.22 -9.52%

The history of the last name Burmaster

The surname Burmaster is of German origin, originating in the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Bur" meaning "farmer" and "Meister" meaning "master" or "an expert in a particular field." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a master farmer or an expert in agricultural practices.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Burmaster can be found in historical records from the region of modern-day Germany. One of the earliest known references is in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 15th-century world history book that mentions a Burmaster family living in the city of Nuremberg.

In the 16th century, the name Burmaster appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls in the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. During this period, the name was also sometimes spelled as "Burmeister" or "Bourmeister," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.

One notable individual with the surname Burmaster was Johann Burmaster, a German theologian and scholar who lived in the 17th century (1601-1679). He was a professor of theology at the University of Jena and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

Another famous Burmaster was Wilhelm Burmaster (1720-1798), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Münster in the late 18th century.

In the 19th century, the Burmaster surname appeared in various records across Germany, as well as in regions with significant German immigration, such as the United States and Canada. One notable figure from this period was Friedrich Burmaster (1829-1901), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, from 1881 to 1885.

Other notable individuals with the surname Burmaster include Heinrich Burmaster (1865-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities, and Karl Burmaster (1888-1962), a German-American artist and illustrator known for his works depicting life in the American West.

While the surname Burmaster is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its agricultural roots in medieval Germany. The name has been carried by scholars, artists, politicians, and other notable figures throughout the centuries, reflecting its enduring legacy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burmaster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Burmaster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Burmaster was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.35% 554
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.89% 11
Hispanic Origin 2.41% 14

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Burmaster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.35% 97.60% -2.33%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.89% 1.54% 20.41%
Hispanic 2.41% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Burmaster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Burmaster, please contact us.

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"Burmaster last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 11, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burmaster-surname-popularity/.

"Burmaster last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burmaster-surname-popularity/. Accessed 11 July, 2025

Burmaster last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/burmaster-surname-popularity/.

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