2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Burnsides
A surname indicating an association with burns or streambanks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Burnsides. 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 Burnsides 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 Burnsides 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 Burnsides, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burnsides
The surname Burnsides is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a specific place or geographical feature. One possible origin is from the Old English words "burna" meaning a stream or brook, and "sīde" meaning a slope or hillside, suggesting the name was originally given to someone who lived near a stream on a hillside.
Another theory is that the name may have evolved from the Old English personal name "Burnsige" or "Burnsigge," composed of the elements "burn" meaning a stream, and "sige" meaning victory. This could indicate that the name was originally borne by someone who lived near a stream and achieved some form of victory or success.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire, England, from 1275, where a certain William Burnsides is listed. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records, suggesting that the Burnsides family had established themselves in Worcestershire by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as "Burneside" and "Burnesyde," in records from Lancashire and Yorkshire. This variation in spelling was common in those times, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.
One notable figure with the surname Burnsides was Sir John Burnsides, born in the late 15th century in Yorkshire. He was a prominent member of the gentry and served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, the Burnsides family had established a presence in the county of Gloucestershire. William Burnsides, born in 1628, was a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bristol. His son, also named William Burnsides (1665-1734), was a respected lawyer and served as a magistrate in the city.
Moving into the 18th century, a branch of the Burnsides family settled in the American colonies. James Burnsides, born in 1702 in Gloucestershire, emigrated to Virginia in 1725 and became a prosperous tobacco farmer. His descendants played a role in the American Revolutionary War, with several Burnsides serving in the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Burnsides was Ambrose Everett Burnsides (1824-1881), a prominent American military officer who served as a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known for his distinctive facial hair style, which became known as "sideburns" (derived from his surname).
Throughout its history, the surname Burnsides has been associated with various professions and social classes, from landed gentry and merchants to lawyers and military officers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval England, the name has spread across the English-speaking world and continues to be borne by families in various countries today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burnsides
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnsides, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Burnsides 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 Burnsides surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 98
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burnsides
Burnsides 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,374 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-18 bearers (-15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 15,113 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,374 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.1%) | Down 15,113 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 Burnsides 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 | #140,157 | #155,270 | -10.8% |
| Count | 119 | 101 | -15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burnsides bearers went from 119 to 101 (-15.1% change). The surname moved down 15,113 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #155,270.
FAQ
Burnsides surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burnsides?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Burnsides. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Burnsides?
Burnsides 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 Burnsides. 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 Burnsides.
Has Burnsides become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burnsides went from 119 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Burnsides?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burnsides, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.0%) and Hispanic (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 Burnsides in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burnsides appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%), Hispanic (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 Burnsides (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 Burnsides mean?
A surname indicating an association with burns or streambanks. 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 Burnsides (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 are called Burnsides?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Burnsides on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.