Given name & surname
Burns
Burns is a variant of Burne. One English interpretation is “resembling a bear; from the brook; the brown-haired one.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Burns is a variant of Burne. One English interpretation is “resembling a bear; from the brook; the brown-haired one.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Burns is a variant of Burne. An origin associated with Burne is English.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1886. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Burns through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 584
- 584 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1920
- 30 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 6 in 2016. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 30 in 1920. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 348 as a first name in 2020; 159,111 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.
Burns’s family of names
Burns has a related form in Burne. In English usage, Burns as a surname has a related form in Barnes. In English usage, Burns as a surname has a related form in BERNS.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 4
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Burns, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Buck
“resembling a male deer”
>99% boys
Berl
>99% boys
Burton
“from the fortified town”
>99% boys
Benoit
“one who is blessed”
>99% boys
Yates
“keeper of the gates”
>99% boys
Boyd
“a blonde-haired man”
>99% boys
Nels
“of the victorious people”
>99% boys
Rufus
“red(-haired )” · “a red-haired man”
>99% boys