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

Burnet, 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 Burnet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burnet in America

Burnet is the 47966th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burnet surname appeared 441 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 Burnet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burnet 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.

The history of the last name Burnet

The surname Burnet has its origins in Scotland, where it emerged in the 12th century as a locational name. It is derived from the Old French word "brunet", meaning "brown" or "dark brown", referring to the complexion or hair color of the original bearer. The name is thought to have been given as a nickname or descriptive term before becoming an inherited surname.

The earliest known record of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls to King Edward I of England. One of the entries mentions Walterus Burnette from Roxburghshire, Scotland. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Burnat, Burnett, and Burnard. It was particularly prevalent in the counties of Fife, Roxburgh, and Ayr. Some notable early bearers of the name include John Burnett, a landowner in Fife mentioned in records from 1399, and Robert Burnett, a Scottish clergyman and writer from the 16th century (c. 1512-1592).

The Burnets of Leys, a prominent Scottish family, trace their ancestry to Robert Burnet, who was granted lands near Criggie in Aberdeenshire in the early 15th century. This branch of the family produced several notable individuals, including Gilbert Burnet (1643-1715), a Scottish philosopher and historian who served as Bishop of Salisbury.

Another notable bearer of the name was Thomas Burnet (c. 1635-1715), an English theologian and writer best known for his work "Sacred Theory of the Earth". He proposed a theory about the formation of the Earth and the biblical Flood, which influenced early geological thought.

In the 18th century, James Burnet (1714-1799), also known as Lord Monboddo, was a Scottish judge, scholar, and philosopher who made significant contributions to the study of language and human nature.

The Burnet surname has also been associated with place names, such as Burnettholm in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, and Burnettown in Aberdeenshire. These locations likely derived their names from the surname, indicating the presence of Burnet families in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burnet

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

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 Burnet was:

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 Burnet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Burnet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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