Burns Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Burns Name Meaning: A topographic derivation from the old Endlish 'Burna,Burne',a 'spring' or 'stream',indicated to someone who lived beside a 'stream'.

The name is of Anglo-Saxon origin & was gradually replaced by the old English 'broc' meaning 'brook'.

Discover how your Burns ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Burns Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Burns family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 2,472
General Labourer 253
Labourer 218
Coal Miner 210
Domestic Servant 140
Cotton Weaver 97
Dress Maker 93
General Servant 93
Dock Labourer 85
Charwoman 74
House Keeper 70
Tailor 70
Iron Ore Miner 60
Agricultural Labourer 55
Servant 50
Laundress 48
Iron Miner 48
Hawker 42
Joiner 38
Cotton Operative 38
General Servant Domestic 36
Cotton Spinner 36
Shoe Maker 34
Tailoress 33
Farm Labourer 33

Burns Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Barnes 67% 236,315
2 Burns 100% 78,221
3 Barns 80% 19,850
4 Burnes 83% 8,531
5 Byrnes 67% 2,993
6 Burness 71% 2,583
7 Braines 43% 1,230
8 Branes 50% 727
9 Brains 50% 697
10 Bornes 67% 692
11 Bournes 71% 503
12 Brans 60% 499
13 Bruns 60% 461
14 Bourns 83% 456
15 Barons 67% 428
16 Briens 50% 419
17 Bernes 67% 414
18 Bearns 67% 277
19 Brins 60% 277
20 Brines 50% 254
21 Brians 50% 225
22 Berns 80% 216
23 Barnas 67% 208
24 Borns 80% 196
25 Breens 50% 174
26 Barnis 67% 166
27 Berens 67% 121
28 Brons 60% 111
29 Barens 67% 110
30 Burnis 83% 102
31 Bearnes 57% 101

Did you know?

The surname Burns is the 2nd most popular variant of Barnes.

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