2000
#517
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 57,859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 21.45
Uncommon Last name
Burnett
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with dark brown hair or a dark complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 66,733 Americans carry the last name Burnett. That puts it at #568 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 19.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burnett 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 Burnett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
67K
1 in 5,136
Census rank
#568
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
19.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
58K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 58,194 bearers of the surname Burnett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 19.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 568th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burnett
The surname Burnett originated in Scotland and has its roots in the Gaelic language. It is derived from the word "bornait," which means "small stream" or "burn." This connection to natural water sources suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near such features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Burnett name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document the pledge of allegiance made to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. Among those listed is Robert de Burnard, whose name is believed to be an early spelling variation of Burnett.
In the 13th century, a family of Burnetts held lands in the parish of Killen, near the town of Ayr in Ayrshire, Scotland. This area is thought to be the ancestral home of the Burnett clan. Prominent members of this clan include Sir Robert Burnett, who was a supporter of Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.
The Burnett name also appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, which were records of financial transactions kept by the Scottish government. In these rolls, individuals with the surname Burnett are mentioned in connection with various land holdings and legal matters.
One notable figure in the history of the Burnett name is Alexander Burnett of Leys (c. 1534-1619), who was a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament. He played a role in the religious and political conflicts of the time, supporting the Protestant Reformation and the cause of Scottish independence.
Another noteworthy Burnett was Gilbert Burnett (1643-1715), who was a Scottish Bishop and historian. He served as the Bishop of Salisbury and wrote a influential work called "History of the Reformation of the Church of England."
Burnett is also the surname of Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924), the renowned English-American playwright and author. She is best known for her children's novels, including "The Secret Garden" and "A Little Princess."
In terms of place names associated with the Burnett surname, there is the village of Burnett in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which likely took its name from the nearby Burn of Burnett, a small river. Additionally, the town of Burnettholm in Dumfriesshire may have derived its name from a combination of the Burnett surname and the Scots word "holm," meaning a small island or riverside land.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burnett
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Burnett 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 Burnett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.6% · 38,770
- Black or African American23.9% · 13,908
- Two or more races4.8% · 2,784
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,016
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 398
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 318
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burnett
Burnett 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
#554
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 60,791
+2,932 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 20.61
Rank movement Down 37 places
2020
#568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 58,194
-2,597 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 19.47
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #517 | 57,859 | 21.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #554 | 60,791 | 20.61 | +2,932 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 37 places |
| 2020 | #568 | 58,194 | 19.47 | -2,597 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 14 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 Burnett 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 | #554 | #568 | -2.5% |
| Count | 60,791 | 58,194 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 20.61 | 19.47 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burnett bearers went from 60,791 to 58,194 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #554 to #568.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Burnett
FAQ
Burnett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burnett?
Name Census estimates that about 66,733 living Americans carry the surname Burnett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,136 residents.
How common is Burnett?
Burnett ranks #568 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 19.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 19 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 58,194 people with the surname Burnett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (66,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 19.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 19.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 19 of them to have the surname Burnett.
Has Burnett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burnett went from 60,791 recorded bearers to 58,194. That is a decrease of 2,597 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #554 to #568.
What does the Census say about the background of Burnett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnett, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.6%. The next largest groups are Black (23.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Burnett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.6% (38,770 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burnett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.6%), Black (23.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Burnett (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 Burnett mean?
A surname derived from a nickname for someone with dark brown hair or a dark complexion. 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 Burnett (19.47 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 Americans have the surname Burnett?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.