Burns (surname)

The surname Burns has several origins. In some cases it derived from the Middle English burn, and originated as a topographic name for an individual who lived by a stream. In other cases the surname is a variant form of the surname Burnhouse, which originated as habitational name, derived from a place name made up of the word elements burn and house.[1] In other cases the surname Burns originated as a nickname meaning "burn house".[2] In other cases, the surname Burns is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Ó Broin,[1] which means "descendant of Bran".[3] In some cases the surname Burns is an Americanized form of the Jewish surname Bernstein,[1] which is derived from the German bernstein ("amber").[4]

An early form of the surname when derived from the place name Burnhouse is "Burnis", recorded in 1526. An early form of the surname when derived from a nickname meaning "burn house" is "Brenhus", recorded in 1286 and 1275.[5]

List of notable persons with the surname Burns

Politics and law

Drama and television

Literature and journalism

Music

Sports

Other

Fictional characters

People with the first or middle name Burns

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Burns, Answers.com, retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  2. Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood, ed., A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 63, 75, ISBN 0-19-863146-4.
  3. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Byrne, Answers.com, retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  4. Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Bernstein, Answers.com, retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  5. Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood, ed., A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 75, ISBN 0-19-863146-4.