2000
#2,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.56
Uncommon Last name
Burden
An English occupational surname referring to a carrier of heavy loads or a porter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,114 Americans carry the last name Burden. That puts it at #2,853 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,285 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burden surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Burden with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,285
Census rank
#2,853
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,308 bearers of the surname Burden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2853rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burden
The surname Burden has its origins in medieval England, deriving from the Old English word "byrthen" or "byrđen," meaning a load or burden carried or borne. This name likely originated as an occupational name for someone who hauled goods or worked as a porter, carrying heavy loads.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Burden can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Burdun" in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Burden was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset, where it was often associated with small villages and hamlets. In the 13th century, records show a Robert Burden holding lands in the village of Bitton, near Bristol, while a John Burden is mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1279.
Variations in spelling were common throughout the medieval and early modern periods, with the name appearing as Burdun, Burdon, Burdone, and Burdoun, among others. These spellings often reflected local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.
One notable bearer of the surname Burden was Sir John Burden (c. 1470-1544), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1538 and was knighted by King Henry VIII for his services to the Crown.
Another historically significant figure was George Burden (1539-1599), an English scholar and theologian who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge from 1585 until his death. He was highly regarded for his contributions to biblical scholarship and his work in translating the Geneva Bible.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, several members of the Burden family fought on both sides of the conflict. Captain William Burden (1605-1679) was a Parliamentarian officer who served under Oliver Cromwell, while his cousin, Colonel Richard Burden (1610-1668), fought for the Royalist cause.
In the 18th century, the name Burden was associated with the agricultural and industrial sectors, including farmers, millers, and workers in the wool and textile trades. One notable figure from this period was John Burden (1738-1808), a successful sheep breeder and farmer from Gloucestershire, who was widely recognized for his innovative breeding techniques and contributions to animal husbandry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burden
Among Census respondents with the surname Burden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Burden bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Burden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 7,889
- Black or African American26.8% · 3,300
- Two or more races4.8% · 585
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 388
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 67
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burden
Burden appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,028
+729 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 76 places
2020
#2,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,308
-720 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 4.12
Rank movement Down 83 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,694 | 12,299 | 4.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,770 | 13,028 | 4.42 | +729 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 76 places |
| 2020 | #2,853 | 12,308 | 4.12 | -720 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 83 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Burden surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,770 | #2,853 | -3.0% |
| Count | 13,028 | 12,308 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.42 | 4.12 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burden bearers went from 13,028 to 12,308 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 83 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,770 to #2,853.
FAQ
Burden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burden?
Name Census estimates that about 14,114 living Americans carry the surname Burden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,285 residents.
How common is Burden?
Burden ranks #2,853 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,308 people with the surname Burden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Burden.
Has Burden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burden went from 13,028 recorded bearers to 12,308. That is a decrease of 720 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,770 to #2,853.
What does the Census say about the background of Burden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burden, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Burden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (7,889 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Black (26.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Burden (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Burden mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a carrier of heavy loads or a porter. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Burden (4.12 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Burden?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.