2000
#2,627
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,637
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.68
Uncommon Last name
Burleson
An English habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Burleson, likely meaning "town on a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,998 Americans carry the last name Burleson. That puts it at #2,877 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,486 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Burleson 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.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,486
Census rank
#2,877
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,207 bearers of the surname Burleson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2877th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Burleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Burleson
The surname BURLESON has its origins in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from an Old English place name, likely referring to a settlement or village where the first bearers of the name resided.
One possible origin of the name is the Old English words "burh" and "leah," which together mean "borough" or "fortified town" and "clearing" or "meadow," respectively. This suggests that the BURLESON surname may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a fortified town surrounded by a clearing or meadow.
Another theory traces the name's roots to the Old English words "byrle" and "tun," which translate to "barn" and "enclosure" or "farm." This interpretation implies that the name may have been given to someone who lived or worked near a barn or farm enclosure.
The earliest recorded instance of the BURLESON surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, where it is spelled "Burleleston." This variation in spelling was common in medieval times due to inconsistent record-keeping practices.
In the 14th century, the name is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is written as "Burluston." This further exemplifies the diverse spellings used for the same surname during that period.
One notable early bearer of the BURLESON surname was Sir John Burleson, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He is mentioned in historical accounts of the battle, which was a significant English victory.
In the 16th century, the BURLESON surname appears in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1525, where it is recorded as "Burleyson." This spelling variation highlights the ongoing evolution of the name over time.
A prominent figure in the 17th century was Richard Burleson, a merchant and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire, England. He was born in 1632 and is documented in various property records and legal documents from that period.
Another noteworthy individual was Thomas Burleson, a clergyman and author who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was born in 1670 and wrote several religious treatises and sermons that were published during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, the BURLESON surname can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, where it is spelled "Burlison." This variation provides further insight into the name's historical evolution and regional differences in spelling.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Burleson
Among Census respondents with the surname Burleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Burleson 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 Burleson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 10,089
- Black or African American7.8% · 949
- Two or more races4.4% · 543
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 458
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 77
Timeline
Historical Census data for Burleson
Burleson 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
#2,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,176
+539 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 4.47
Rank movement Down 107 places
2020
#2,877
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,207
-969 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 4.08
Rank movement Down 143 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,627 | 12,637 | 4.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,734 | 13,176 | 4.47 | +539 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 107 places |
| 2020 | #2,877 | 12,207 | 4.08 | -969 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 143 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 Burleson 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 | #2,734 | #2,877 | -5.2% |
| Count | 13,176 | 12,207 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.47 | 4.08 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Burleson bearers went from 13,176 to 12,207 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 143 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,734 to #2,877.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Burleson
FAQ
Burleson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Burleson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,998 living Americans carry the surname Burleson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,486 residents.
How common is Burleson?
Burleson ranks #2,877 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.08 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 12,207 people with the surname Burleson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,998), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.08 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 Burleson.
Has Burleson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Burleson went from 13,176 recorded bearers to 12,207. That is a decrease of 969 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,734 to #2,877.
What does the Census say about the background of Burleson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Burleson, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Burleson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (10,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Burleson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (7.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Burleson (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 Burleson mean?
An English habitational surname derived from any of the various places named Burleson, likely meaning "town on a hill." 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 Burleson (4.08 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 have the surname Burleson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.