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

Burnight, 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 Burnight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burnight in America

Burnight is the 144141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burnight surname appeared 115 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 Burnight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burnight 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 Burnight

The surname BURNIGHT originates from England, and can be traced back to the early 13th century. It is believed to have derived from a combination of two Old English words, "burna" meaning a stream or brook, and "naht" meaning night or darkness. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook that was particularly dark or shaded.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a census-like record from 1273, where a person named Reynold de Burneyt is mentioned. The spelling variations during this time included Burnett, Burnet, and Burneit.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, with references to individuals named Adam Burnet and John Burnet. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of England by this time.

The BURNIGHT surname is also associated with some notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Sir John Burnet (1684-1773), a Scottish writer and philosopher who authored the influential work "The Sacred Theory of the Earth." Another was Gilbert Burnet (1643-1715), a Scottish historian and Bishop of Salisbury, who wrote the influential "History of the Reformation of the Church of England."

In the realm of literature, the name is associated with Frances Burney (1752-1840), an English novelist and playwright who is best known for her novel "Evelina." Her sister, Sarah Burney (1770-1844), was also a novelist and playwright.

Another notable figure with the BURNIGHT surname was Sir Alexander Burnes (1805-1841), a Scottish explorer and diplomat who played a significant role in the British exploration of Afghanistan and the region surrounding it.

Throughout its history, the BURNIGHT surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Burnett's Green in Suffolk, and Burnett's Hill in Northumberland. These place names may have originated from individuals bearing the surname, or from the geographic features that inspired the surname in the first place.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burnight

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

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

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

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