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

Burress, 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 Burress surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burress in America

Burress is the 7184th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burress surname appeared 4,652 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Burress.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burress 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 Burress

The surname Burress has its origins in the English language, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English word "burr," which referred to a small knob or protuberance, possibly indicating a descriptive name for someone with a distinctive physical feature or a location associated with a particular landform.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burress can be traced back to the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, a medieval survey of landowners conducted in 1273. This document mentions a certain "Willelmus de Bures," potentially an early spelling variation of the surname.

During the late 14th century, the name appeared in various manorial records and tax rolls in different parts of England, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, where a "Johannes Burres" was listed as a taxpayer.

In the 15th century, the Burress surname surfaced in the Feet of Fines records for Essex in 1424, where a "John Burres" was mentioned as a party to a land transaction. These records provide valuable insights into the geographical distribution and variations in spelling of the name during that period.

Notable individuals who bore the Burress surname throughout history include:

1. Robert Burress (c. 1550 - 1615), an English merchant and explorer who traveled to the East Indies and documented his adventures in a journal published in 1623.

2. Sarah Burress (1668 - 1742), a Quaker preacher and writer from Warwickshire, known for her influential religious writings and advocacy for women's rights.

3. William Burress (1720 - 1798), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and participated in several notable battles, including the Battle of Chesapeake Bay in 1781.

4. John Burress (1785 - 1861), a renowned English architect who designed several prominent buildings in London, including the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel and the Royal Opera House.

5. Elizabeth Burress (1834 - 1912), a British philanthropist and social reformer, who founded several charitable organizations and advocated for improved living conditions for the working class in industrial cities.

While the Burress surname has evolved over time and can be found in various parts of the world today, its origins can be traced back to medieval England, where it emerged as a descriptive name or a locational identifier, reflecting the rich linguistic heritage of the English language.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burress

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

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

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

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