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Burns Family History

Burns Name Meaning

Scottish (central Scotland and northern England): habitational name from any of various places called formerly Burnis Burnes or Burnhouse (named with burn- ‘stream’) especially those in Kincardineshire Renfrewshire Dunbartonshire and possibly Argyll. English and Scottish: variant either of Burn with post-medieval excrescent -s or of Barnes . Irish: Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Broin (see Byrne ) with excrescent -s. American shortened and altered form of Jewish Bernstein .

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Bourns, Buras, Duris, Buren, Beans, Burn, Berns, Borns, Burne, Burry

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Where is the Burns family from?

You can see how Burns families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burns family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burns families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 1,842 Burns families living in Ontario. This was about 47% of all the recorded Burns's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Burns families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burns surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Burns

What did your Burns ancestors do for a living?

View Census Data for Burns | Data not to scale

Top Male Occupations In 1921

Farmer
30%
Labourer
11%
Laborer
6%
Clerk
4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

Stenographer
12%
Housekeeper
10%
Student
8%
Teacher
7%

Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Burns family records will you find?

Census Records
There are 1 million census records available for the last name Burns. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burns census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.
Search Canadian census records for Burns
Passenger Lists
There are 150,000 immigration records available for the last name Burns. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.
View all Burns immigration records
Draft Cards
There are 216,000 military records available for the last name Burns. For the veterans among your Burns ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.
View all Burns military records

Census Records

There are 1 million census records available for the last name Burns. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burns census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Burns

Passenger Lists

There are 150,000 immigration records available for the last name Burns. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Burns immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 216,000 military records available for the last name Burns. For the veterans among your Burns ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Burns military records

You've only scratched the surface of Burns family history

Discover More

What is the average Burns lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Burns life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1945, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Burns in 1940 was 40, and 74 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Burns

Browse profiles of historical people with the Burns last name