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

Burr, 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 Burr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burr in America

Burr is the 2323rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burr surname appeared 15,703 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Burr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burr 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 Burr

The surname Burr has its roots in the Old English word 'byrgen' or 'burren', meaning a burial place or hill. It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, around the 5th to 11th centuries.

In the early medieval period, Burr was a topographic surname, given to individuals living near a burial mound or hill. It is found in areas like Derbyshire, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire, where such landscape features were common.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burr dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Burred in Cambridgeshire. Other early records include a Robertus de Bure in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1198, and a Henry de la Bure in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1268.

Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Burgh, Borowe, and Burrough, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations. These variations were often associated with place names, such as Burrow-on-the-Hill in Leicestershire and Burrough Green in Cambridgeshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Burr include Aaron Burr (1756-1836), the third Vice President of the United States and a prominent political figure. Another famous bearer was the English artist and engraver Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677), whose last name was sometimes spelled as Hollar Burr.

Other historical figures with the surname Burr include Jonathan Burr (1635-1641), one of the first settlers of Fairfield, Connecticut; Joseph Burr (1610-1653), an early colonist of Hartford, Connecticut; and Theodosia Burr (1783-1813), the daughter of Aaron Burr and a prominent figure in her own right.

The surname Burr has also been connected to other prominent families throughout history, such as the Burrs of Scotland and the Burr-Benningtons of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burr

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

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

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

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