Find out how popular the last name Burst is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Burst.
An occupational name for someone who lived near or by a stream or brook.
Burst, 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 Burst surname is from the 2010 census data.
Burst is the 54637th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Burst surname appeared 377 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Burst.
We can also compare 2010 data for Burst 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 54637 | 43875 | 21.85% |
Count | 377 | 463 | -20.48% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.13 | 0.17 | -26.67% |
The surname BURST is believed to have originated from the Old English word "byrst," which means "a break" or "a burst." This name likely referred to someone who lived near a place where a stream or river burst its banks, or perhaps a person who had a fiery or explosive personality.
The earliest known record of the surname BURST dates back to the 13th century in England. In the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, there is a mention of a Richard Burst. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 14th century, the BURST surname appeared in various forms, such as Burste, Burstes, and Burstis. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time. One notable record from this period is the mention of a Robert Burste in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327.
The BURST surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded was John Burst, a landowner in Oxfordshire who lived in the late 15th century. Another was Thomas Burst, a merchant and alderman in the city of London in the early 16th century.
In the 17th century, the BURST surname gained prominence with the English clergyman and scholar, William Burst (1592-1669). He was a fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge, and served as the rector of Gunthorpe, Norfolk.
The 18th century saw the birth of James Burst (1720-1789), a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Waterloo Road.
In the 19th century, one of the most notable figures with the BURST surname was Sir John Burst (1815-1886), a British politician and barrister who served as the Attorney General for England and Wales from 1866 to 1868.
While the BURST surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonial expansion. However, its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the early medieval period in England.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Burst.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Burst was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 80.37% | 303 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 15.92% | 60 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 0.00% | 0 |
Hispanic Origin | 2.65% | 10 |
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 Burst has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 80.37% | 85.10% | -5.72% |
Black | 15.92% | 10.58% | 40.30% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | (S)% | 2.38% | (S)% |
Two or More Races | 0.00% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 2.65% | 1.51% | 54.81% |
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 Burst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Burst, please contact us.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/burst-surname-popularity/">Burst last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Burst last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 9, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/burst-surname-popularity/.
"Burst last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/burst-surname-popularity/. Accessed 9 July, 2025
Burst last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/burst-surname-popularity/.
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