# Burnett (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/burnett/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Old French.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 60,791 |
| US rank (2010) | 554 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 5,079 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.1% (57,859 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Bernett, Burtnett |

## Etymology

From Middle English burnet (“brown”), from Old French brunet, brunete.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Burnett in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 70% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 24% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Burnett in the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

## People named Burnett

- Carol Burnett, American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933)
- Leo Burnett, American advertising executive
- Peter Hardeman Burnett, American judge, governor of California, slave owner (1807–1895)
- Erin Burnett, American news anchor, currently the anchor of Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN
- T Bone Burnett, American record producer, guitarist, and songwriter (born 1948)
- Gilbert Thomas Burnett, British botanist (1800-1835)
- Smiley Burnette, American country music performer and comedic actor (1911–1967)
- Charles Burnett, American film director (born 1944)
- Molly Burnett, American actress
- A. J. Burnett, baseball player from the United States
- Henry Cornelius Burnett, American politician (1825–1866)
- Alan Burnett, American television producer

and 2 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Barnett, Burnette, Barnette, Brent, Brunette, Brunet, Brunetti, Brunt, Brummett, Bryant, Brandt, Bermudez.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.