Burns
Masculine · “A Scottish surname”
Burns is a Scottish surname used as a first name, almost always in honor of the poet Robert Burns. His friends began a supper in his memory that is now held around the world, and a song he wrote down is sung at every New Year.
How old is the name Burns?
Burns first appears in US birth records in 1886 — 139 years ago. The typical Burns alive today was born around 1928, making them about 97 years old. About 100 people named Burns are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Burns most popular?
Burns peaked in 1891, reaching #841 nationally. See the whole 1891 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
The story of Burns
A few years after Robert Burns died, his friends met in the cottage at Alloway where he was born to eat, drink and read his poems; the Burns Supper, with haggis, bagpipes and the 'Address to a Haggis', is now held every January in many countries. Burns sent 'Auld Lang Syne' to a collection of Scottish songs, saying he had taken it down from an old man's singing, and it is sung at midnight on New Year's Eve across the English-speaking world.
Meaning
A Scottish surname, from burn, 'stream'
Burns is a Scottish surname from a place by a burn, a stream; as a first name it usually honors the poet.
Pronouncing Burns
BURNZ
One syllable.
Nicknames for Burns
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1886
- Most boys named
- 192030 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #841reached in 1891
- Change vs 1979
- +20.0%6 in 2016, from 5
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Burnss among us
people named Burns are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Burns sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Honors a great poet.
- One syllable and easy to spell.
- Almost certain to be the only one.
- The word burns has a painful meaning, and children may notice.
- It will be taken for a surname.
- It reads as a name of a much earlier generation.
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Burns
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Burnss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Burns are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Burns in 2025?
- Burns is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Burns with classmates?
- Burns will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More B names
The most-given names starting with B, all years combined.
Brian#339 · Benjamin#11 · Brandon#261 · Bryan#336 · Bruce#536 · Billy#1068 · Bobby#1097 · Bradley#403
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Burns? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Burns and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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