2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Burus
A surname derived from the Turkish word meaning prosperous or wealthy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Burus. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burus 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.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Burus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burus
The surname BURUS is believed to have originated in Turkey during the Ottoman Empire era, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the Turkish word "buru," which means "curved" or "crooked," possibly referring to a physical characteristic or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name BURUS can be found in the Ottoman tax registers (tahrir defterleri) from the late 16th century, where it appears as a surname in various regions of Anatolia. It is believed that the name may have been used to identify individuals who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers, as the term "buru" could also refer to the curved shape of certain tools or implements used in these trades.
In the 18th century, the name BURUS began to appear in historical documents related to the Ottoman bureaucracy and military. Mustafa Burus (1680-1748) was a prominent Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (chief minister) under Sultan Ahmed III. Another notable figure was Mehmed Burus (1720-1785), a military commander who played a significant role in the Ottoman-Russian wars of the late 18th century.
As the Ottoman Empire expanded its reach across the Balkans and the Middle East, the name BURUS likely spread to various regions, including present-day Greece, Bulgaria, and parts of the Arab world. In some areas, the name may have undergone slight variations in spelling or pronunciation, such as "Buros" or "Buruz."
During the 19th century, the BURUS surname can be found in various historical records and documents from the Ottoman Empire and its territories. Hasan Burus (1810-1878) was a renowned Ottoman calligrapher and poet, known for his mastery of the Arabic and Persian scripts. Ali Burus (1845-1912) was a notable Ottoman diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the early 20th century.
As the Ottoman Empire declined and eventually dissolved in the early 20th century, individuals bearing the BURUS surname likely migrated to various parts of the world, carrying their surname with them. Today, the name BURUS can be found among individuals of Turkish, Greek, Bulgarian, and Arab descent, among others, reflecting its historical roots and the cultural and geographic diversity of the regions where it originated and spread.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burus
Among Census respondents with the surname Burus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Burus 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 Burus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 83
- Black or African American7.1% · 7
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burus
Burus 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-14 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 24,120 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 24,120 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 1,229 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 Burus 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 | #157,234 | #156,005 | 0.8% |
| Count | 103 | 99 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burus bearers went from 103 to 99 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 1,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,005.
FAQ
Burus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burus?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Burus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Burus?
Burus ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Burus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Burus.
Has Burus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burus went from 103 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Burus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burus, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Burus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (83 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Burus (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 Burus mean?
A surname derived from the Turkish word meaning prosperous or wealthy. 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 Burus (0.03 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 have the last name Burus?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Burus? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.