Given name & surname

Burney

“from the island with the brook”

Burney is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “from the island with the brook.”

Meaning & origin

What it means

One English interpretation is “from the island with the brook.”

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 1882. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.

From dated birth records

Burney through the years

Babies since 1880
888
883 boys · 5 girls
Most popular year
1930
21 babies
2025
0
Outside the ranked list
2021–25 vs 2016–20
—
Too few births to compare
0204060801900192019401960198020002025Highest share 18970.0
Burney in U.S. Social Security birth records, 1882–2025, per million boys born. Years with fewer than five births for a sex are not published and appear as zero. Use the arrow keys to step through years.

By the numbers

The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 5 in 1980. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 372 as a first name in 2020; 8,588 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.

Burney’s family of names

Burney has a related form in Burnie. Burney has a related form in Beimi. Burney has a related form in Beirnea.

Walk Burney’s family in the name graph

BurneyBurnieBerneyBeimiBurniBurneaBurneeBurnyBeirnigBurneigBeirneaBeirneeBeirnyBeirnieBeirney

The ring: nicknames and forms.

Hover or tab through the constellation to see how each name is related. Bigger dots are names more people in the U.S. share.

Similar names

If you love Burney, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.

English · Old-fashioned

Bud

“one who is brotherly”

17Very rareRising

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Burton

“from the fortified town”

24RareRising

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Garner

“one who gathers or keeps grain”

22RareSteady

83% boys · 17% girls

Scottish

Parley

“one who negotiates” · “a reluctant man”

19Very rareEasing

93% boys · 7% girls

English · Old-fashioned

Delbert

“one who is noble; a bright man”

17Very rareEasing

>99% boys

English · Nature

Sherwood

“from the bright forest”

0Not recently recordedEasing

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Sherwin

“a bright friend”

15Very rareEasing

>99% boys

English · Old-fashioned

Elroy

“a red-haired young man” · “a king”

23RareSteady

>99% boys

Sibling ideas

Names that share Burney’s feel without repeating its first letter or rhyming with it.

A brother for Burney

A sister for Burney