NameCensus.

UK surname

Mcburnie

A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the burn of the monks".

In the 1881 census there were 249 people recorded with the Mcburnie surname, ranking it #11,103 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 606, ranked #8,646, up from #11,103 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Kirkmichael and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Galston, Sunderland and Cornwall.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mcburnie is 655 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 143.4%.

1881 census count

249

Ranked #11,103

Modern count

606

2016, ranked #8,646

Peak year

2010

655 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mcburnie had 249 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,103 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 606 in 2016, ranked #8,646.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 420 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities.

Mcburnie surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Mcburnie surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mcburnie 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 183 #11,166
1861 historical 204 #11,814
1881 historical 249 #11,103
1891 historical 308 #10,886
1901 historical 420 #9,169
1911 historical 198 #15,058
1997 modern 574 #8,398
1998 modern 590 #8,492
1999 modern 598 #8,458
2000 modern 583 #8,571
2001 modern 578 #8,506
2002 modern 583 #8,610
2003 modern 572 #8,602
2004 modern 576 #8,575
2005 modern 577 #8,506
2006 modern 598 #8,302
2007 modern 607 #8,278
2008 modern 627 #8,131
2009 modern 631 #8,265
2010 modern 655 #8,190
2011 modern 643 #8,226
2012 modern 627 #8,308
2013 modern 621 #8,509
2014 modern 626 #8,520
2015 modern 615 #8,556
2016 modern 606 #8,646

Geography

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Where Mcburnies are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Kirkmichael, Toxteth Park, Dumfries and Glasgow. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Galston, Sunderland, Cornwall, Broxburn Kirkhill and Broxburn East. 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 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Kirkmichael Ayr
3 Toxteth Park Lancashire
4 Dumfries Dumfries
5 Glasgow Lanark

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Galston East Ayrshire
2 Sunderland 028 Sunderland
3 Cornwall 008 Cornwall
4 Broxburn Kirkhill West Lothian
5 Broxburn East West Lothian

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mcburnie

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mcburnie

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mcburnie, 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

Legacy Communities

Group

Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities

Nationally, the Mcburnie surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Legacy and Demographically Mixed Communities, within Legacy Communities. This does not mean every Mcburnie household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Households in these areas often include divorced or separated parents and commonly include children and young adults. The age structure is heavily skewed towards the most advanced age groups. Individuals identifying as members of ethnic minorities are not present in large numbers. Flats predominate, with some terraced, semi-detached, and detached units. Multiple car ownership is low, and housing is predominantly in the private and social rented sectors. Employment is less skewed towards traditional routine industrial occupations. Levels of educational attainment are generally low. The Group occurs principally in the Central Lowlands of Scotland and other Scottish towns.

Wider pattern

These neighbourhoods characteristically comprise pockets of flats that are scattered across the UK, particularly in towns that retain or have legacies of heavy industry or are in more remote seaside locations. Employed residents of these neighbourhoods work mainly in low-skilled occupations. Residents typically have limited educational qualifications. Unemployment is above average. Some residents live in overcrowded housing within the social rented sector and experience long-term disability. All adult age groups are represented, although there is an overall age bias towards elderly people in general and the very old in particular. Individuals identifying as belonging to ethnic minorities or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups are uncommon.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburban Asian Communities

Group

Settled Semi-Detached Asians

Within London, Mcburnie is most associated with areas classed as Settled Semi-Detached Asians, part of Suburban Asian Communities. 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

These residents share Supergroup characteristics of large (non-Chinese) Asian populations but those identifying as Bangladeshi are notably absent. Many residents were born in the UK, while other more recent migrants have African birthplaces. Semi-detached housing, much of it owner occupied, prevails in these suburban residential locations.

Wider London pattern

Many residents of these neighbourhoods are of (non-Chinese) Asian descent, with many identifying as Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi. Neighbourhoods are located across large areas of suburban west, north-east and south London. Detached, semi-detached and terraced houses are more prevalent than flats and socially rented housing is uncommon. Few residents live in communal establishments. Many families have dependent children, sometimes in overcrowded accommodation, and few households are ethnically mixed. Marriage rates are above the London average. The even age distribution, relative absence of individuals living alone and frequent incidence of households with children suggests that multi-generation households may be relatively common. Employment is often in skilled trades, elementary, sales and customer service occupations, and roles as process, plant, and machine operatives. Manufacturing and construction are well represented, along with employment in distribution, hotels, and restaurants. Many adults have only level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. English is not used at home by some residents. Religious affiliation is above average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mcburnie is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy 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.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mcburnie falls in decile 4 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.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mcburnie 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 Mcburnie, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mcburnie

The surname MCBURNIE is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Gaelic personal name 'Burnait'. This name is thought to have originated in the Scottish Highlands during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.

The prefix 'Mc' or 'Mac' is a common Gaelic patronymic, meaning 'son of'. Therefore, the surname MCBURNIE would have initially referred to the son of someone named Burnait. The name Burnait itself may have derived from the Gaelic word 'burn', meaning a small stream or rivulet.

Some of the earliest recorded instances of the surname MCBURNIE can be found in historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries in the Scottish counties of Argyll and Inverness-shire. Variations in spelling during this period included MCBURNIE, MCBURNY, and MCBURNEY.

One notable bearer of the MCBURNIE surname was John McBurnie, a Scottish soldier who fought in the Jacobite Rising of 1745. He was captured by government forces and later executed in 1746 for his role in the rebellion.

Another early individual with this surname was Donald McBurnie, a merchant and landowner from Argyll who lived in the late 17th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents related to land transactions and legal disputes from that era.

In the 19th century, James McBurnie (1810-1882) was a prominent Scottish architect based in Edinburgh. He designed several notable buildings in the city, including the former Surgical Hospital and the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the MCBURNIE surname in North America dates back to 1767, when a man named Alexander McBurnie immigrated from Scotland to Nova Scotia, Canada.

Another significant bearer of this name was William McBurnie (1869-1958), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1917 to 1935, representing the district of Dauphin, Manitoba.

While the MCBURNIE surname is less common than some other Scottish names, it has a long and documented history dating back several centuries in the Highlands of Scotland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mcburnie families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mcburnie 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. Lancashire leads with 4 Mcburnies recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.95x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 4 4.95x
Yorkshire 3 4.45x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Toxteth Park in Lancashire leads with 4 Mcburnies recorded in 1881 and an index of 145.99x.

Place Total Index
Toxteth Park 4 145.99x
Leeds 3 78.74x

Top female names

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

Name Count
Sarah 2
Ann 1

Top male names

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

Name Count
Robert 2
Richard 1
William 1

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 Mcburnie households.

FAQ

Mcburnie surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mcburnie surname in 1881?

In 1881, 249 people were recorded with the Mcburnie surname. That placed it at #11,103 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mcburnie surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 606 in 2016. That gives Mcburnie a modern rank of #8,646.

What does the Mcburnie surname mean?

A Scottish surname derived from a place name meaning "the burn of the monks".

What does the Mcburnie map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mcburnie 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.