2000
#12,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,339
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Burnes
A Scottish and English topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,490 Americans carry the last name Burnes. That puts it at #13,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,652 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burnes 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 Burnes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,652
Census rank
#13,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,171 bearers of the surname Burnes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burnes
The surname Burnes originated in England during the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "burna," meaning a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1198, where a person named William Burne is mentioned. The name was also present in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273 and the Subsidy Rolls of 1327.
In the 13th century, the name was predominantly found in the northern counties of England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. This is likely due to the abundance of small streams and brooks in those areas.
The surname Burnes has also been linked to several place names, such as Burneshead in Cumbria and Burneside in Westmorland. These place names suggest that individuals may have taken their surnames from the locations where they lived or worked.
One notable bearer of the surname Burnes was Sir Alexander Burnes (1805-1841), a Scottish explorer and writer who traveled extensively in Central Asia. He was assassinated in Kabul, Afghanistan, during an uprising against the British.
Another significant figure was Sir George Burnes (1786-1849), a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Resident of the East India Company in Sindh (now part of Pakistan).
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name was John Burnes, who was born in Massachusetts in 1631.
Other notable individuals with the surname Burnes include:
1. Anita Burnes (1903-1986), an American actress and singer.
2. Robert Burnes (1759-1796), a Scottish poet and the elder brother of the renowned poet Robert Burns.
3. David Burnes (1888-1958), a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross during World War I.
4. James Burnes (1801-1862), a Scottish military officer and explorer who served in the East India Company.
The surname Burnes has undergone various spellings over the centuries, including Burn, Burne, and Byrne. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its connection to its English origins and the concept of living near a small stream or brook.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burnes
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Burnes 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 Burnes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.5% · 1,508
- Black or African American20.1% · 437
- Two or more races5.7% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burnes
Burnes 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
#12,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,484
+145 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 275 places
2020
#13,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,171
-313 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 918 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,213 | 2,339 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,488 | 2,484 | 0.84 | +145 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 275 places |
| 2020 | #13,406 | 2,171 | 0.73 | -313 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 918 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 Burnes 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 | #12,488 | #13,406 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,484 | 2,171 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.73 | -13.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burnes bearers went from 2,484 to 2,171 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 918 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,488 to #13,406.
FAQ
Burnes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burnes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,490 living Americans carry the surname Burnes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,652 residents.
How common is Burnes?
Burnes ranks #13,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,171 people with the surname Burnes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Burnes.
Has Burnes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burnes went from 2,484 recorded bearers to 2,171. That is a decrease of 313 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,488 to #13,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Burnes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnes, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.1%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Burnes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.5% (1,508 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burnes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.5%), Black (20.1%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Burnes (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 Burnes mean?
A Scottish and English topographical surname referring to someone who lived near a stream or brook. 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 Burnes (0.73 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 Burnes?
Want to know how many people have the last name Burnes? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.