2000
#6,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,483
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Burmeister
A German occupational surname referring to a mayor, steward, or administrator of a castle or fortified town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,062 Americans carry the last name Burmeister. That puts it at #7,280 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burmeister 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
5.1K
1 in 67,711
Census rank
#7,280
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,414 bearers of the surname Burmeister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7280th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burmeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burmeister
The surname Burmeister originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle Low German words "bur" meaning a farmer or peasant, and "meister" meaning a master or leader. Thus, the name initially referred to a master farmer or someone who oversaw agricultural activities.
Early recordings of the name can be found in various historical documents from northern Germany and the surrounding regions. One of the earliest known references is in the town records of Lübeck in 1283, mentioning a man named Burmeister.
During the Middle Ages, the name was particularly prevalent in the areas of Saxony, Mecklenburg, and Pomerania. Variations in spelling included Burmeyer, Burmester, and Burmeister, with the latter becoming the standard form.
In the 14th century, a notable person with this surname was Johann Burmeister, a prominent merchant from Hamburg, who was involved in the lucrative trade of the Hanseatic League. Another early figure was Heinrich Burmeister, a scholar and theologian from Lüneburg, who lived from 1492 to 1567.
As the name spread across Germany, it was often associated with agricultural communities and landowners. In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Hermann Burmeister, a farmer and landowner from Schleswig-Holstein, who acquired significant land holdings and influence in the region.
Moving into the 18th century, one of the most renowned individuals with this surname was Johann Burmeister, a German naturalist and entomologist. Born in 1807 in Stralsund, he made significant contributions to the study of insects and authored several seminal works on entomology.
Another notable figure was Georg Burmeister, a German-American architect and builder who lived from 1819 to 1892. He was responsible for designing and constructing several prominent buildings in Baltimore, Maryland, and played a crucial role in shaping the city's architectural landscape.
Throughout its history, the Burmeister surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, scholars, and artists. While its origins lie in the agricultural traditions of northern Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, representing a rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burmeister
Among Census respondents with the surname Burmeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Burmeister 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 Burmeister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 4,088
- Two or more races2.9% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 121
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burmeister
Burmeister 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
#7,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,543
+60 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 435 places
2020
#7,280
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,414
-129 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Up 58 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,903 | 4,483 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,338 | 4,543 | 1.54 | +60 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 435 places |
| 2020 | #7,280 | 4,414 | 1.48 | -129 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 58 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 Burmeister 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 | #7,338 | #7,280 | 0.8% |
| Count | 4,543 | 4,414 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.48 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burmeister bearers went from 4,543 to 4,414 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 58 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,338 to #7,280.
FAQ
Burmeister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burmeister?
Name Census estimates that about 5,062 living Americans carry the surname Burmeister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,711 residents.
How common is Burmeister?
Burmeister ranks #7,280 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,414 people with the surname Burmeister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,062), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Burmeister.
Has Burmeister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burmeister went from 4,543 recorded bearers to 4,414. That is a decrease of 129 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,338 to #7,280.
What does the Census say about the background of Burmeister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burmeister, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Burmeister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (4,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burmeister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Burmeister (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 Burmeister mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a mayor, steward, or administrator of a castle or fortified town. 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 Burmeister (1.48 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 share the surname Burmeister?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.