The Burgess surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 73,931 people carried this name — #444 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 3,990 people counted. That is up 3% from 71,604 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Burgess surname

A surname transferred from the common noun.

By proprialization from burgess, which is from Anglo-Norman burgeis (“town-dweller”); more at burgess.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Burgess» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the burgess’.

His entry covers Burgess and Burges.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 19 births for the Burgess name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Dublin.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 8
Ulster 7
Munster 3
Connacht 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 39 people named Burgess.

Most of them — 33 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Loir-et-Cher.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 33
Loir-et-Cher 2
Loire-Atlantique 1
Pas-de-Calais 1
Rhône 1
Paris 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

21 people named Burgess live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.

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

Where they live today

Geneva 5
Zurich 5
Ticino 4
Vaud 4
Bern 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In the Nordic population registers

82 people named Burgess are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 55
Finland (2026) 27

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) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Burgess was found among the farmers of 9 counties.

It was most frequent in Cheshire: 64 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 156. 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

Cheshire 64
Sussex 32
Staffordshire 20
Northamptonshire 15
Shropshire 14
Lincolnshire 13
Norfolk 13
Suffolk 9

And 1 more county.

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 Scotland’s registers today

Burgess was recorded 44 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 591st most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 75. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

225 families named Burgess, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,320 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 11 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 50
Maryland 40
Virginia 29
North Carolina 29
New York 21
Connecticut 16
Pennsylvania 13
Rhode Island 10
Maine 8
South Carolina 6
Vermont 3

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

Burgess in American newspapers,
1890–1919.

Newspaper page from The Telegraph-courier carrying the name Burgess
The Telegraph-courier 1890-01-09
Newspaper page from East Oregonian : E.o carrying the name Burgess
East Oregonian : E.o 1919-11-22
Newspaper page from The Laramie Republican carrying the name Burgess
The Laramie Republican 1910-10-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 258,200 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Burgess in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2020s.

150,685 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burgess. The most, 26,007, date from the 1930s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 51,491
South Australia 23,015
Victoria 22,329
Tasmania 20,281
Queensland 19,795
Western Australia 12,621
ACT (Canberra) 896
Northern Territory 60

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

Who carried it

People named Burgess,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Sylvanus Burgess d. 1876 · politician
  • William J. Burgess d. 1996 · politician
  • Edward Burgess d. 1855 · printer
  • Herschel Burgess d. 1987 · American football player
  • Ronald E. Burgess d. 1977 · physicist
  • Daniel Burgess d. 1747

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Burgess,
in the records of 9 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 States6,150 records

6,150 records of the Burgess name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,418
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 961
  • Other U.S. records 2,771
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record John Harlie Burgess

    Born 1946; from San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Robert L. Burgess

    Born 1923 in Rhode Island. Enlisted 1943 at Providence; construction worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1990, buried at Rhode Island Veteran Memorial Cemetery, Exeter, Rhode Island.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Richard Albert Burgess

    Born 1950; from Tower, Minnesota. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Lakeview Cemetery, Tower, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 6,150 records for Burgess in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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. 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Ramsey County, Minnesota (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Australia5,200 records

5,200 records of the Burgess name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,078
  • Tasmanian Names Index 1,629
  • Other Australian records 1,493
  1. 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 Hannah Burgess

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emma Eugenia, sailing from Portsmouth in 1846. Native of Hackney, Middlesex. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1850.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. 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 William Burgess

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Proteus, sailing from Portsmouth in 1831. Native of Hampshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1836.

    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 Burgess

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the St Vincent, sailing from London in 1852. Native of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 5,200 records for Burgess 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) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · 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: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada1,500 records

1,500 records of the Burgess name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1,238
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 69
  • Other Canadian records 193
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Adam Burgess

    Killed in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 37; buried at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Burgess

    Came to Ontario in 1872 aboard the Prussian, landing at Quebec, bound for Collingwood, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Mary D. Burgess

    Buried in 1934 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 70.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 1,500 records for Burgess in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

United Kingdom212 records

212 records of the Burgess name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 127
  • Stirling Council burial records 24
  • Other British records 61
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Albert William Burgess

    Born 1897 at New Duffus; blacksmith. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Euphemia Simpson Burgess

    Died 2000, aged 82; buried at Strathblane Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jeremiah Burgess

    Will proved in 1935; of Cardiff, Glamorgan.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 212 records for Burgess 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. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · 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: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand167 records

167 records of the Burgess name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 127
  • Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 15
  • Other New Zealand records 25
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Catherine Burgess

    Died 1912, aged 74; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ashley Burgess

    Died 1968, aged 73; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edna Taur Burgess

    Died 2001, aged 86; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 167 records for Burgess in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands155 records

155 records of the Burgess name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 86
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 69
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Isabella Burgess

    Married in 1885 in Amsterdam. Died 1929 in Laren, aged 71.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Judith Burgess

    Born 1889 in Beverwijk. Married in 1911 in Veen.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); 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 Johanna Wilhelmina Burgess

    Born 1891 in Beverwijk. Married in 1913 in Wijk en Aalburg. Died 1969 in Wijk en Aalburg.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 155 records for Burgess 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).

France7 records

7 records of the Burgess 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 Marion Jean Burgess

    Born 1941 in Falkirk Ecosse (T Royaum Uni); died 2001 in Cannes (Alpes-Maritimes).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 1 of 7 records for Burgess in France.

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).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Burgess name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Céc!Le Burgess

    Died 1875 in Kortijk.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Kortrijk (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Burgess name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Kristine Burgess

    Census of 1910: Guldbergsiden, Glemminge; born 1844 in Fr.stad.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Burgess.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Burgess 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.

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