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

Burwell, 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 Burwell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Burwell in America

Burwell is the 5613th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Burwell surname appeared 6,193 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Burwell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Burwell 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 Burwell

The surname Burwell originates from England and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English words "burh" meaning a fortified town or manor, and "well" referring to a spring or stream. The name likely originated from a place name, referring to someone who lived near a well or stream by a fortified town or manor.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname Burwell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already established by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Burwell was Sir Robert Burwell, who lived in the 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Suffolk, England. Another notable figure was Sir William Burwell, who served as a member of Parliament for Cambridgeshire in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, there was a Thomas Burwell (c.1520-1597) who was a prominent English lawyer and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as the Attorney General for the Court of Wards and Liveries.

The Burwell family also had connections to colonial America. Lewis Burwell (c.1620-1658) was a wealthy planter and landowner in Virginia, and his son Lewis Burwell II (1651-1710) was a prominent political figure who served as the President of the Council of Virginia.

Another notable individual with the surname was Sir Redvers Buller (1839-1908), a British Army officer who served in the Second Boer War and was known for his involvement in the Relief of Ladysmith during that conflict.

Over the centuries, the surname Burwell has evolved and taken on various spellings, including Burwall, Borewell, and Borwell, reflecting the regional variations and language changes that occurred over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Burwell

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

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

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

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