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

Burts, 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 Burts surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burts in America

Burts is the 20553rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burts surname appeared 1,290 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 Burts.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burts 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 Burts

The surname Burts is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word 'burh', meaning a fortified town or manor. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a particular borough or town.

In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as 'Burgh', 'Burghe', and 'Burghes' in various historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert de Burg, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not appear to contain any direct references to the Burts surname. However, it does list several places with names containing the 'burgh' element, such as Burgh in Suffolk and Burgh in Northamptonshire, which may have been the original locales from which the name derived.

As the surname evolved over time, it took on various spellings, including Burt, Burts, and Burtts. One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Burt, a prominent English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1537. Another historical figure was William Burt, a surveyor and inventor born in Massachusetts in 1778, who is credited with creating the first solar compass.

Other individuals of note with the Burts surname include John Burt, an English Puritan clergyman and author who lived from 1595 to 1663, and Horace Burt, an American actor and film director born in 1888 who appeared in several silent movies in the early 20th century. Additionally, Thomas Burts, a British soldier and explorer, is known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions in the 19th century, where he documented the customs and way of life of the Inuit people.

While the exact origins of the Burts surname may be lost to history, its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it likely originated as a locational name referring to a specific borough or fortified town.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burts

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

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

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

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