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 1,440
Labourer 378
Domestic Servant 98
Coal Miner 84
House Keeper 82
General Servant 80
Hawker 79
Cotton Weaver 67
Servant 65
Tailor 57
Dress Maker 57
Dock Labourer 49
Agricultural Labourer 43
Laundress 40
Joiner 37
Iron Ore Miner 36
Charwoman 33
Tailoress 32
Cotton Spinner 31
Painter 29
Cotton Operative 28
Miner 28
Weaver 28
Farm Labourer 26
Iron Miner 25

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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