How common is the surname Burnett?

60,791 people in the United States had the surname Burnett in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,079 Americans. It ranked 554th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Burnett?

Carol Burnett, American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933), followed by Leo Burnett.

Where is the surname Burnett most common?

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

Is the surname Burnett getting more or less common?

More common. 57,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 60,791 in 2010, up 5.1%.

Is Burnett also a first name?

Yes. Burnett is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Burnett

A French surname, carried by 60,791 people in the United States.

2 syllables Soundex B653

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Burnett is more common than 99.7% of them.

Origin

French origin

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

One of 791 French surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 60,791 people named Burnett in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 5,079 Americans. That is up 5.1% since 2000, when the Census counted 57,859.

#554

rank among US surnames

60,791

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+5.1%

change since 2000 (was #517)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#545	Lang	61,529	5,018
#546	Brock	61,369	5,031
#547	Villarreal	61,355	5,032
#548	Charles	61,211	5,044
#549	Drake	61,162	5,048
#550	Barrera	60,998	5,062
#551	Cain	60,948	5,066

Who is named Burnett

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

70% of people named Burnett identified as white (not Hispanic), 24% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as two or more races.

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

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Burnetts

14 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Carol Burnett
American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933)
Leo Burnett
American advertising executive, 1891–1971
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, born 1976
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, born 1988
A. J. Burnett
Baseball player from the United States, born 1977
Henry Cornelius Burnett
American politician (1825–1866)
Alan Burnett
American television producer, born 1949

Notable Burnetts come mostly from the United States (13) and the Kingdom of Great Britain (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Bernett
Burtnett

Surnames that sound like Burnett

Burnett has the Soundex code B653, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code B653.

Other French surnames

All 791 French surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Burnett come from?: From Middle English burnet (“brown”), from Old French brunet, brunete.
How common is the surname Burnett?: 60,791 people in the United States had the surname Burnett in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 5,079 Americans. It ranked 554th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Burnett?: In the 2010 Census, 70% of people named Burnett identified as white (not Hispanic), and 24% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Burnett?: Carol Burnett, American actress, comedian and singer (born 1933), followed by Leo Burnett.
Where is the surname Burnett most common?: Wikidata records people named Burnett in the United States and the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Is the surname Burnett getting more or less common?: More common. 57,859 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 60,791 in 2010, up 5.1%.
What are other spellings of Burnett?: Bernett and Burtnett.
Is Burnett also a first name?: Yes. Burnett is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.