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

Burris, 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 Burris surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burris in America

Burris is the 1312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burris surname appeared 26,760 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Burris.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burris 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 Burris

The surname Burris originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "burr" meaning a small hill or mound, and "hyrst" meaning a wooded hill or grove. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a wooded hill or in an area with small hills or mounds.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Burrys". This entry refers to a landowner or tenant in the county of Suffolk. The spelling of the name continued to evolve over the centuries, with variations such as "Burris", "Burys", and "Burrys" appearing in various historical records.

During the 13th century, the name appears in several medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1230, which mention a "William de Burys". This suggests that the name was well-established in various regions of England by that time.

One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Burris (c. 1450-1521), a knight and landowner from Lincolnshire. He served as a Member of Parliament and played a role in the Wars of the Roses. Another early figure was Thomas Burris (c. 1520-1587), a merchant and alderman in the city of London during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, the surname appears in various parish records, such as the baptism of John Burris in St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, in 1620. The name also has ties to several place names in England, such as Burris Hill in Worcestershire and Burris Green in Suffolk.

Other notable individuals with the surname Burris include Robert Burris (1690-1772), a prominent American colonist and landowner in Virginia, and John Burris (1835-1905), a Union Army veteran and politician who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burris

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

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

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

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