The Burnett surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 60,791 people carried this name — #554 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,850 people counted. That is up 5% from 57,859 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Burnett surname
From Middle English burnet (“brown”), from Old French brunet, brunete.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Burnett» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 8 births for the Burnett name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. One of them was indexed under another spelling of the name.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
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 26 people named Burnett.
Most of them — 15 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Guadeloupe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 20 people named Burnett 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 Santa Fe.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
22 people named Burnett is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
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
Burnett was found among the farmers of 6 counties.
It was most frequent in Staffordshire: 26 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 385. 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 mapPer 10,000 farmers, by 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, 1880s
Burnett was 10 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.
That is about 1 in 1,000. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Scattered.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.
H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 587 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.
In Scotland’s registers today
Burnett was recorded 98 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.
That made it the 264th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 151. 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
109 families named Burnett, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.
Each family is counted by its head. About 705 people lived in those households, 6.5 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
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
Burnett in American newspapers,
1842–1915.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 460,527 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Burnett in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.
88,547 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burnett. The most, 15,519, date from the 1880s. 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 the Northern Territory, at 1.5 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Burnett.
Who carried it
People named Burnett,
with a public archive behind them.
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Peter Hardeman Burnett 1807–1895 · judge -
Harriet Burnett 1812–1879 -
Alfred Burnett 1824–1884 · actor -
Henry Cornelius Burnett 1825–1866 · lawyer -
John Burnett 1831–1890 · judge
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 259 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Burnett,
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 States5,206 records
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 2,030
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 981
- Other U.S. records 2,195
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record Richard James BurnettBorn 1949; from Atlanta, Georgia. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1968 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. Buried at Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Agnes S. BurnettBorn 1907 in Pennsylvania. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Atlanta, Georgia; clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Florida National Cemetery, Florida.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Jane BurnettArrived at New York in 1857 aboard the Cultivator from Liverpool, aged 15; domestic. From Westmeath, Ireland.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 5,206 records for Burnett 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. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · 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) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Australia2,081 records
- Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,008
- Queensland State Archives indexes 392
- Other Australian records 681
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Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Mary Ann J. BurnettDied 1870 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 45. Will registered in Tasmania in 1870.
Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) -
Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829 Transportation record Alexander BurnettTransported to New South Wales aboard the Lord Melville, arriving 1830; ticket of leave 1835. Native of Berwickshire.
Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Mary BurnettArrived in Victoria in 1887 aboard the Hohenzollern, aged 33; German.
Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 2,081 records for Burnett in Australia.
Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
Canada285 records
- Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 143
- Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 52
- Other Canadian records 90
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Rodney Orlando BurnettKilled in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, aged 26; buried at St John's Cemetery, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record E'd BurnettCame to Ontario in 1875 aboard the Scan, bound for Woodvill, Ontario; Scotch.
Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Arthur James BurnettBuried in 1976 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 68.
City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
Showing 3 of 285 records for Burnett 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. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence · 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. 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 Kingdom142 records
- War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 55
- Stirling Council burial records 39
- Other British records 48
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Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919 War record William BurnettBorn 1893 at Heath Cottage; engineer's apprentice. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).
National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Matthew BurnettBuried in 1912 at Ballengeich Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 76.
Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. -
Example: probate petition, 1848 Probate record Jane BurnettWill proved in 1920; of Upper Bangor, Carnarvon.
National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
Showing 3 of 142 records for Burnett 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 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. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). 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 Zealand50 records
- Christchurch City cemetery records 34
- Waimakariri District cemetery records, Canterbury 6
- Other New Zealand records 10
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Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Henrietta BurnettDied 1961, aged 47; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.
Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record Frank Edwin BurnettDied 1973, aged 76; buried at Rai Valley Cemetery, Marlborough.
Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: burial register, 1858 Burial record John James BurnettDied 1981; buried at Oxford Cemetery, Canterbury.
Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 3 of 50 records for Burnett in New Zealand.
Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel 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).
France9 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Marianne Octavie BurnettBorn 1919 in Saint-Martin; died 1995 in Saint-Martin (Guadeloupe).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Clifford BurnettBorn 1943 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 2 of 9 records for Burnett 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).
Netherlands8 records
- Dutch population registers 4
- Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
- Dutch church registers before 1811 1
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record George Smith BurnettMarried in 1945 in Nijmegen; cook.
Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0) -
Example: civil register, 1880 Death record Alexander BurnettDied 1950 in aan boord van het motorschip Koningin Emma, aged 59.
Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 2 of 8 records for Burnett 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Burnett.
- Burlin 263 · U.S. census
- Burlingame 3,897 · U.S. census
- Burmeister 4,543 · U.S. census
- Burnell 4,095 · U.S. census
- Burner 2,233 · U.S. census
- Burnet 441 · U.S. census
- Burnette 16,717 · U.S. census
- Burney 9,126 · U.S. census
- Burnham 15,775 · U.S. census
- Burns 165,925 · U.S. census
- Burnside 8,859 · U.S. census
- Buron 367 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Burnett 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.