NameCensus.

UK surname

Burton

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified settlement."

In the 1881 census there were 25,491 people recorded with the Burton surname, ranking it #129 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 36,034, ranked #142, down from #129 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Nottingham St Mary. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Staffordshire Moorlands, East Lindsey and South Holland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Burton is 37,523 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 41.4%.

1881 census count

25,491

Ranked #129

Modern count

36,034

2016, ranked #142

Peak year

1999

37,523 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Burton had 25,491 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #129 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 36,034 in 2016, ranked #142.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 35,165 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Burton surname distribution map

The map shows where the Burton surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Burton surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Burton over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 16,554 #129
1861 historical 16,389 #130
1881 historical 25,491 #129
1891 historical 27,756 #123
1901 historical 32,183 #126
1911 historical 35,165 #107
1997 modern 35,541 #135
1998 modern 37,162 #135
1999 modern 37,523 #135
2000 modern 37,165 #136
2001 modern 36,245 #136
2002 modern 36,893 #138
2003 modern 36,185 #138
2004 modern 36,254 #137
2005 modern 35,600 #139
2006 modern 35,409 #139
2007 modern 35,545 #140
2008 modern 35,649 #141
2009 modern 36,361 #141
2010 modern 36,996 #141
2011 modern 36,408 #141
2012 modern 35,913 #140
2013 modern 36,655 #140
2014 modern 36,809 #140
2015 modern 36,363 #141
2016 modern 36,034 #142

Geography

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Where Burtons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Nottingham St Mary and St Mary Islington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Staffordshire Moorlands, East Lindsey, South Holland, North West Leicestershire and Ashfield. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 London parishes London 3
4 Nottingham St Mary Nottinghamshire
5 St Mary Islington London (North Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Staffordshire Moorlands 010 Staffordshire Moorlands
2 East Lindsey 003 East Lindsey
3 South Holland 008 South Holland
4 North West Leicestershire 009 North West Leicestershire
5 Ashfield 014 Ashfield

Forenames

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First names often paired with Burton

These lists show first names that appear often with the Burton surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Burton

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Burton, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Burton surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Burton household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Burton is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Burton is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Burton falls in decile 5 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

5
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Burton is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Burton, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Burton

The surname Burton originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. It is derived from the Old English words "burh" meaning a fortified town or borough, and "tun" meaning an enclosure or homestead. The name likely referred to someone who lived in or near a fortified town or borough.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Burton dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and estates commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appeared in various spellings such as Burtone, Burtun, and Burctun.

During the Middle Ages, the Burton surname was prevalent in various parts of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire. Several place names, such as Burton-upon-Trent, Burton Pidsea, and Burton Flemming, contributed to the spread and variation of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Burton throughout history include:

1. Richard Burton (1925-1984), a renowned Welsh actor known for his performances in films like "Cleopatra" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

2. Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), a British explorer, writer, and linguist, famous for his travels in Asia and Africa and his translation of "The Arabian Nights."

3. Decimus Burton (1800-1881), an English architect and garden designer, responsible for the design of several buildings and parks in London, including the Athenaeum Club and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

4. Robert Burton (1577-1640), an English scholar and author, best known for his work "The Anatomy of Melancholy," a seminal work on depression and melancholia.

5. William Burton (1609-1657), an English antiquarian and historian, who wrote extensively about the history and antiquities of Leicestershire and other counties.

The Burton surname has a rich history and has been carried by notable figures in various fields, from exploration and literature to acting and architecture. Its origins can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era, reflecting the settlement patterns and fortified towns of that period.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Burton families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Burton surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 3,344 Burtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.36x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 3,344 1.36x
Middlesex 2,571 1.03x
Lancashire 2,302 0.78x
Nottinghamshire 1,413 4.21x
Staffordshire 1,244 1.48x
Norfolk 1,089 2.85x
Surrey 1,079 0.89x
Lincolnshire 1,035 2.60x
Kent 983 1.16x
Warwickshire 948 1.51x
Leicestershire 900 3.26x
Derbyshire 862 2.21x
Essex 817 1.66x
Durham 609 0.82x
Hampshire 552 1.08x
Sussex 489 1.17x
Cheshire 368 0.67x
Worcestershire 355 1.09x
Wiltshire 313 1.42x
Hertfordshire 298 1.74x
Northamptonshire 279 1.19x
Cambridgeshire 225 1.43x
Somerset 220 0.55x
Gloucestershire 212 0.43x
Northumberland 203 0.55x
Suffolk 191 0.63x
Shropshire 188 0.87x
Glamorgan 175 0.40x
Lanarkshire 167 0.21x
Berkshire 161 0.86x
Devon 156 0.30x
Cornwall 155 0.55x
Midlothian 155 0.46x
Huntingdonshire 145 2.93x
Buckinghamshire 119 0.79x
Westmorland 112 2.05x
Rutland 109 5.97x
Dorset 90 0.55x
Oxfordshire 90 0.59x
Herefordshire 78 0.76x
Monmouthshire 73 0.41x
Bedfordshire 66 0.51x
Fife 61 0.41x
Cumberland 53 0.25x
Denbighshire 48 0.51x
Channel Islands 47 0.64x
Ayrshire 38 0.20x
Montgomeryshire 36 0.63x
Renfrewshire 30 0.16x
Berwickshire 28 0.93x
Royal Navy 22 0.74x
Radnorshire 21 1.05x
Stirlingshire 17 0.19x
West Lothian 17 0.45x
Angus 15 0.07x
Flintshire 15 0.22x
Roxburghshire 15 0.33x
Dumfriesshire 14 0.25x
Pembrokeshire 13 0.16x
Perthshire 12 0.11x
Anglesey 11 0.25x
Caernarfonshire 11 0.11x
Peeblesshire 8 0.68x
Brecknockshire 7 0.14x
Buteshire 7 0.46x
East Lothian 6 0.18x
Dunbartonshire 5 0.07x
Inverness-shire 4 0.05x
Merionethshire 3 0.07x
Selkirkshire 3 0.13x
Argyllshire 2 0.03x
Isle of Man 2 0.04x
Cardiganshire 1 0.02x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Islington London in Middlesex leads with 349 Burtons recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.45x.

Place Total Index
Islington London 349 1.45x
Nottingham St Mary 323 3.72x
Stoke Upon Trent 320 3.59x
Birmingham 315 1.51x
Aston 295 1.71x
Lambeth 255 1.18x
St Pancras London 204 1.02x
Leeds 175 1.26x
Camberwell 167 1.05x
Kensington London 160 1.16x
Leicester St Margaret 157 2.33x
West Ham 146 1.35x
Hackney London 145 1.04x
St Marylebone London 137 1.03x
Basford 118 7.63x
Paddington London 114 1.25x
Brighton 107 1.26x
Manchester 100 0.75x
Croydon 97 1.44x
Holy Trinity 97 1.64x
Bermondsey 94 1.27x
Sheffield 94 1.20x
Portsea 92 0.92x
Sculcoates 92 2.35x
Hulme 85 1.38x
Bethnal Green London 84 0.78x
Salford 82 0.94x
Shoreditch London 82 0.76x
Whitwick 81 23.09x
Newington 77 0.84x
West Derby 75 0.87x
Oldham 74 0.78x
Great Yarmouth 73 2.30x
St George Hanover Square 73 1.66x
Ashton Under Lyne 72 1.12x
Chelsea London 72 0.96x
Sedgley 71 2.28x
Hucknall Torkard 70 8.23x
Ecclesall Bierlow 68 1.36x
Dudley 67 1.70x
Doncaster 65 3.61x
Heigham 65 3.16x
Clerkenwell London 64 1.09x
Radford 63 3.70x
Westminster St John 63 2.08x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 62 5.41x
Hugglescote 61 15.03x
Leicester St Mary 61 2.74x
Mile End Old Town London 61 1.15x
Bulwell 60 8.23x
Great Grimsby 60 2.38x
Lewisham 59 1.30x
Southwark St George Martyr 59 1.18x
Warrington 59 1.69x
West Bromwich 59 1.23x
Preston 58 0.73x
Sutton St Mary 58 15.41x
Tottenham 58 1.46x
Blackburn 57 0.73x
Great Coggeshall 57 22.31x
Toxteth Park 57 0.57x
Walsall Foreign 57 1.31x
Edinburgh St Cuthberts 56 0.42x
St Luke London 56 1.40x
Barony 55 0.27x
Edmonton 55 2.74x
Hornsey 55 1.75x
Liverpool 54 0.30x
Bromsgrove 53 4.85x
Hammersmith London 53 0.86x
Bradford 52 0.87x
Dukinfield 52 2.05x
Loughborough 52 4.15x
Kings Norton 51 1.75x
Oakham Lordshold 51 26.67x
Barnsley 50 1.97x
Alfreton 49 4.14x
Battersea 49 0.54x
Scarborough 49 2.19x
Hastings St Mary In The 48 5.36x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Burton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 1,590
Elizabeth 992
Sarah 973
Ann 470
Jane 461
Eliza 439
Alice 379
Annie 372
Emma 372
Ellen 347
Emily 319
Hannah 299
Martha 202
Harriet 198
Margaret 182
Louisa 169
Caroline 157
Maria 152
Edith 149
Fanny 149
Ada 146
Charlotte 140
Florence 137
Clara 126
Catherine 125
Agnes 117
Kate 115
Lucy 106
Frances 84
Matilda 84
Anne 83
Susan 80
Harriett 78
Rose 72
Amelia 70
Isabella 66
Susannah 64
Rebecca 55
Sophia 55
Esther 51
Ruth 51
Amy 50
Elizth. 47
Gertrude 47
Lydia 47
Julia 46
Jessie 43
Minnie 43
Eleanor 41
Ethel 41

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Burton surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 1,584
John 1,482
George 898
Thomas 833
James 738
Henry 547
Charles 505
Joseph 494
Robert 289
Arthur 283
Alfred 281
Edward 279
Frederick 235
Samuel 222
Walter 219
Richard 172
Albert 164
Harry 143
Frank 130
Herbert 119
Benjamin 109
Ernest 84
Edwin 82
Francis 80
Wm. 76
Fred 64
David 62
Tom 45
Thos. 42
Isaac 40
Geo. 35
Stephen 35
Daniel 32
Percy 32
Fredrick 28
Joshua 28
Matthew 27
Fredk. 26
Mark 26
Chas. 25
Alexander 22
Andrew 22
Peter 22
Sidney 20
Christopher 19
Edmund 19
Ralph 19
Willm. 19
Jonathan 18
Philip 18

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Burton households.

FAQ

Burton surname: questions and answers

How common was the Burton surname in 1881?

In 1881, 25,491 people were recorded with the Burton surname. That placed it at #129 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Burton surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 36,034 in 2016. That gives Burton a modern rank of #142.

What does the Burton surname mean?

An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "fortified settlement."

What does the Burton map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Burton bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.