The Burden surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,028 people carried this name — #2,770 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 22,600 people counted. That is up 6% from 12,299 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Burden surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Burdon’.

An early record he cites: Nicholas de Burdon, Wiltshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Burden and Burdon.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 148 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 21 people named Burden live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 21

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In the Nordic population registers

30 people named Burden is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 30

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Burden was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 15 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 667. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Dorset 15
Oxfordshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

72 families named Burden, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 427 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 8 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Massachusetts 29
Rhode Island 15
South Carolina 10
New York 8
Virginia 4
North Carolina 4
Pennsylvania 2

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 232 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Burden in American newspapers,
1896–1910.

Newspaper page from The Poplar Standard carrying the name Burden
The Poplar Standard 1910-06-09
Newspaper page from New-york Tribune carrying the name Burden
New-york Tribune 1896-04-18
Newspaper page from The Birmingham Age-herald carrying the name Burden
The Birmingham Age-herald 1905-12-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,094 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Burden in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

15,653 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burden. The most, 3,012, date from the 1910s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in South Australia, at 3.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 6,328
New South Wales 3,433
Victoria 2,331
Queensland 2,111
Western Australia 682
Tasmania 528
ACT (Canberra) 205
Northern Territory 10

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burden.

Who carried it

People named Burden,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Henry Burden
    Henry Burden 1791–1871 · businessperson
  • I. Townsend Burden
    I. Townsend Burden 1838–1913 · businessperson
  • George Burden d. 1593 · politician
  • Ann Burden 1489–1544
  • Edward Burden 1540–1588 · Catholic priest
  • Huldah Burden 1775–1867

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Burden,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,112 records

1,112 records of the Burden name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 394
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 196
  • Other U.S. records 522
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record John H. Burden

    Born 1926 in Indiana. Enlisted 1944 at Indianapolis; auto plant worker from Oakland County, Michigan. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Dayton National Cemetery, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jakob Burden

    Arrived at New York in 1903 aboard the Main from Bremen, aged 19; laborer. From Krauszow, Galisia, Austria. Born in Galicia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Curtis Burden

    Born 1947; from Madisonville, Kentucky. U.S. Navy, hospital corpsman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,112 records for Burden in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia545 records

545 records of the Burden name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 216
  • Tasmanian Names Index 164
  • Other Australian records 165
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jacob Burden

    Died 1915 in Nubeena, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1915.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Martha Ann Burden

    Born 1860 in Richmond, Tasmania. Married 1877 in Richmond, Tasmania, aged 17.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Burden

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mary Anne, arriving 1835.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 545 records for Burden in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada120 records

120 records of the Burden name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 76
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 12
  • Other Canadian records 32
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Chas Burden

    Came to Ontario in 1871 aboard the Scan, bound for Brampton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Muriel Edith Burden

    Buried in 1983 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 80.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Mary Burden

    Died 1935 in Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 120 records for Burden in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom50 records

50 records of the Burden name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 38
  • Stirling Council burial records 8
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane McNab Burden

    Died 1980, aged 91; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ann Burden

    Buried in 1794 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 75.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record G. Burden

    Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Burden in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Burden name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 4
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Alexander Thomas Burden

    Married in 1946 in Westervoort; sergeant.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Greta Burden

    In the population register of Mönchengladbach, Germany; domestic servant, born 1900 in Mönchengladbach, Germany.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maria Burden

    Married in 1659 in Veen; born in Verenigd Koninkrijk.

    Open Archives, Streekarchief Langstraat Heusden Altena (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Burden in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Burden name in New Zealand Marlborough District cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Kathleen Winifred Patricia Burden

    Died 1986, aged 79; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France1 record

1 record of the Burden name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Arthur Burden

    Born 1927 in Ronssoy; died 1992 in Péronne (Somme).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Burden.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Burden is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Burden volume
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