2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Burnidge
A variant of the locational surname for someone from the village of Burnage, near Manchester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Burnidge. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burnidge 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Burnidge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnidge, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burnidge
The surname Burnidge has its roots in northern England, originating as a locational name in the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "burna" meaning a small stream or brook, and "hrycg" meaning a ridge or hill. This suggests the name was likely given to someone who lived near a small stream or brook on a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230, where a William de Burnerig is mentioned. The spelling variations Burneryg, Burnrigg, and Burnerige also appear in various records from the 13th and 14th centuries in Yorkshire and Lancashire.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in parish records from the village of Burneside in Westmorland (now part of Cumbria). This place name, meaning "the ridge by the stream," may have influenced the evolution of the surname's spelling to its modern form of Burnidge.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Burnidge (c. 1570-1640), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1628 until his death. He was born in Wigan, Lancashire, and his family's coat of arms featured three golden lions on a red field.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Robert Burnidge (1725-1805), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Whitby, Yorkshire. He was involved in the whaling trade and owned several ships that sailed to Greenland and the Arctic.
In the 18th century, the Burnidge name can be found in records from the counties of Lancashire, Yorkshire, and Westmorland, indicating its continued presence in the northern regions of England.
One documented instance is the marriage of Thomas Burnidge and Mary Atkinson in 1754 in the village of Dent, Yorkshire. Their son, also named Thomas Burnidge (1755-1827), became a successful farmer and landowner in the area.
Another bearer of note was Elizabeth Burnidge (1782-1858), a renowned botanist and naturalist from Yorkshire. She was known for her extensive collection of pressed plants and her contributions to the study of local flora.
These examples illustrate the longstanding history of the Burnidge surname, which has its origins in the northern counties of England and can be traced back to the medieval period through various historical records and notable individuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burnidge
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnidge, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Burnidge 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 Burnidge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burnidge
Burnidge appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-17 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,130 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 14,130 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 Burnidge 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 | #141,140 | #155,270 | -10.0% |
| Count | 118 | 101 | -14.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burnidge bearers went from 118 to 101 (-14.4% change). The surname moved down 14,130 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #155,270.
FAQ
Burnidge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burnidge?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Burnidge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Burnidge?
Burnidge ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Burnidge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Burnidge.
Has Burnidge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burnidge went from 118 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 17 (-14.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Burnidge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnidge, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Burnidge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burnidge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Burnidge (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 Burnidge mean?
A variant of the locational surname for someone from the village of Burnage, near Manchester. 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 Burnidge (0.03 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 have the surname Burnidge?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.