Burce
A masculine name of Norse origin meaning "from the brushwood".
Name Census estimates that about 17 living Americans carry the first name Burce. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Burce today is around 69 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burce births was 1952 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burce. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Burce is about 69 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Burces were born before 1967.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Burce. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
17
~ 1 in 20,162,020 Americans
Peak year
1952
6 babies that year
Average age
69
years old
1962 SSA rank
#4,112
Tracked since 1952
Popularity
Burce: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Burce from the 1950s through to the 1960s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 12 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Burce by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Burce during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Burce
The name Burce has its origins in the ancient Germanic language, particularly among the Anglo-Saxon tribes that settled in Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries AD. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "buri," meaning "bear," and the suffix "-ce," which is thought to indicate small stature or endearment. Together, the name Burce can be interpreted as "little bear" or "bear cub."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burce can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in Britain. The chronicle mentions a person named Burce who lived in the 7th century and was involved in conflicts between the kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria.
In the Middle Ages, the name Burce gained popularity in England and Scotland, particularly among the nobility. One notable bearer of the name was Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots from 1306 to 1329, who played a significant role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England. His birth name was Robert de Brus, but he was commonly known as Robert the Bruce.
Another historical figure with the name Burce was Burce Olifant, a Scottish knight who lived in the 12th century. He is mentioned in several medieval records as a prominent landowner and military commander during the reigns of King William the Lion and King Alexander II of Scotland.
In the 16th century, the name Burce was associated with the Bruce family, a powerful Scottish noble clan that traced their ancestry back to Robert the Bruce. One famous member of this family was Edward Bruce, Lord of Kinloss, who was born in 1548 and served as a diplomat and representative of King James VI of Scotland at the court of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Burce Seton was a Scottish writer and antiquarian born in 1719. He is known for his works on Scottish history and genealogy, including "A History of the Family of Seton" and "An Old Genealogy of the Seton Family."
Throughout history, the name Burce has been a respected and distinguished name, particularly in Scotland and England, where it has been associated with nobility, military prowess, and scholarly pursuits. While its usage may have declined in recent times, it remains a unique and meaningful name with a rich historical legacy.
People
Burce + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burce as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Burce: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burce?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 17 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burce going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 20,162,020 US residents.
Is Burce a common name?
We classify Burce as "Very Rare". It ranks above 37.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Burce most popular?
The single biggest year for Burce was 1952, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burce is about 69 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Burce in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Burce a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Burce in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Burce still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Burce in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Burce can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Burce as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people share the name Burce on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.