2000
#1,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.19
Uncommon Last name
Burroughs
From English placenames derived from the Old English words "burh" or "burg," meaning a fortress or fortified town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,873 Americans carry the last name Burroughs. That puts it at #2,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,161 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burroughs 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Burroughs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,161
Census rank
#2,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,458 bearers of the surname Burroughs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burroughs, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burroughs
The surname Burroughs has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from one of the numerous places in England called "Burgh" or "Borough," which were originally fortified towns or villages. The name is thought to be an Old English compound word, formed by the elements "burh" meaning "a fortified place" and "hog" meaning "a ridge."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Borgge" and "Burges." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records with spellings such as "de Burgh," "de Burgo," and "de Burgho." These variations reflect the Norman French influence on English surnames during this period.
Notable historical figures with the surname Burroughs include Sir John Burroughs (c. 1322–1388), an English military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Another prominent bearer of the name was William Burroughs (1572–1645), an English mathematician and surveyor who is credited with introducing the symbol for the modern mathematical concept of "less than."
In the literary world, the name is perhaps most associated with the American writer William S. Burroughs (1914–1997), a celebrated author and member of the Beat Generation. His experimental novels, such as "Naked Lunch" and "The Soft Machine," explored themes of addiction, control systems, and the human condition.
Other notable individuals with the surname include Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950), the American author best known for creating the iconic character Tarzan. Additionally, John Burroughs (1837–1921) was an influential American naturalist and essayist, who played a significant role in the early conservation movement.
The name Burroughs has also been associated with various places in England, such as Burroughs Green in Cambridgeshire and Burroughs on the Hill in Leicestershire, further underscoring its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burroughs
Among Census respondents with the surname Burroughs, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Burroughs 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 Burroughs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 10,929
- Black or African American25.5% · 4,204
- Two or more races4.0% · 652
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 516
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 52
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burroughs
Burroughs 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
#2,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,336
+634 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 5.88
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#2,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,458
-878 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.51
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,990 | 16,702 | 6.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,087 | 17,336 | 5.88 | +634 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #2,147 | 16,458 | 5.51 | -878 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 60 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 Burroughs 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 | #2,087 | #2,147 | -2.9% |
| Count | 17,336 | 16,458 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 5.88 | 5.51 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burroughs bearers went from 17,336 to 16,458 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,087 to #2,147.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Burroughs
FAQ
Burroughs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burroughs?
Name Census estimates that about 18,873 living Americans carry the surname Burroughs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,161 residents.
How common is Burroughs?
Burroughs ranks #2,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,458 people with the surname Burroughs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,873), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Burroughs.
Has Burroughs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burroughs went from 17,336 recorded bearers to 16,458. That is a decrease of 878 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,087 to #2,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Burroughs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burroughs, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (25.5%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Burroughs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (10,929 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burroughs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (25.5%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Burroughs (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 Burroughs mean?
From English placenames derived from the Old English words "burh" or "burg," meaning a fortress or fortified town. 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 Burroughs (5.51 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 Burroughs?
You can see how many people have the surname Burroughs on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.