Given name & surname
Burl
“from the knotted wood”
Burl is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the knotted wood.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “from the knotted wood.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Burl through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 7,200
- 7,181 boys · 19 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 211 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 7 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 211 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 2,270 as a first name in 2020; 815 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Burl’s family of names
Burl has a related form in Burrell. Burl has a related form in Burel. Burl has a related form in Burell.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
People named Burl
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Burl, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Bert
“one who is illustrious”
>99% boys
Burton
“from the fortified town”
>99% boys
Hobart
“having a shining intellect”
>99% boys
Hilbert
“battle”
>99% boys
Garvin
“a friend with a spear”
>99% boys
Eldred
“an old, wise advisor”
93% boys · 7% girls
Orval
“having the strength of a spear”
>99% boys
Milford
“from the mill's ford”
>99% boys