Burrie last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Burrie

A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Burry, meaning someone from the Scottish town of Burra(y).

Burrie, 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 Burrie surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Burrie in America

Burrie is the 139757th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burrie surname appeared 110 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burrie.

The history of the last name Burrie

The surname Burrie finds its origins in Scotland, with recorded usage dating back to the early medieval period, around the 12th century. The name likely emerged in the Lowlands region, which spans from the River Forth to the border with England. It is closely associated with the traditional Scottish clan system and is believed to have been regional, rather than widespread.

The surname Burrie may be derived from the Old English word "burh," meaning a fort or fortified place. Similar to other English and Scottish names, it may pertain to a person living near or in a fort. Alternative early spellings, such as Bury and Burri, appear in historical documents, which suggests that spelling variations were common before standardization.

Historical references to the name Burrie are scarce but meaningful. One of the earliest mentions is in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in the late 12th century, where a "William de Burri" is listed as a landowner in the region of Strathclyde. This document, akin to England’s Domesday Book, provides a glimpse into the land tenure systems and the nobility of medieval Scotland.

Another early record includes a "John Burrie," a tenant farmer mentioned in the Perthshire Rental Rolls of 1359. His existence demonstrates the name's prevalence among the agricultural communities of that time. There's also a "Thomas Burrie" cited as a witness to a land grant in the Lothians in 1423, further connecting the name to the Scottish Lowlands.

In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Scottish Reformation. "Andrew Burrie," born in 1531 and died in 1598, was a notable figure who converted to Protestantism and influenced religious practices in his community in Ayrshire. His involvement in ecclesiastical affairs made the Burrie name recognizable in historical records of clerical reformation.

Another significant historical figure was "Margaret Burrie," born in 1692 and remembered for her writings on the domestic lives of Scottish rural women. Her journals, preserved in local archives in Dumfries, offer a rare, detailed view of the socio-cultural atmosphere of 18th-century Scotland for historians and genealogists.

In the early 1800s, "James Burrie," born in 1785, gained recognition as an explorer who participated in the early mapping of Canada’s interior regions. His contributions were documented in the letters and diaries of fellow explorers, adding a layer of historical importance to the surname.

The presence of the Burrie surname in various historical manuscripts highlights its roots in the regions of Strathclyde, Perthshire, Lothians, Ayrshire, and Dumfries. The evolution from "de Burri" to "Burrie" showcases the linguistic changes over centuries. The family’s involvement in regional land ownership, religious transformation, social documentation, and exploration encapsulates the diverse contributions of those bearing the surname Burrie throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burrie

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Burrie was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 91.82% 101
Non-Hispanic Black Only 7.27% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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.

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

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

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Burrie last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 9, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burrie-surname-popularity/.

"Burrie last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burrie-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 July, 2025

Burrie last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/burrie-surname-popularity/.

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