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Burston Family History

Burston Surname Meaning

English: habitational name from any of various places called Burston in Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, and Staffordshire which have different origins. The Buckinghamshire placename is from an Old English personal name Briddel + Old English thorn ‘thorn tree’; the place in Norfolk is named with Old English byrst ‘rough ground, landslip’ + tūn ‘farmstead’; the Staffordshire placename has the same second element, the first being the Old English personal name Burgwine or Burgwulf.

English: from the Middle English personal name Burstan, Burston (Old English Burgstān from burg ‘fortress’ + stān ‘stone’).

Americanized form of Jewish Burstein (see Bernstein).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Burston family from?

You can see how Burston families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burston family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burston families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 241 Burston families living in Somerset. This was about 23% of all the recorded Burston's in United Kingdom. Somerset had the highest population of Burston families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burston surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Burston ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Burston. 21% of Burston men worked as a General Labourer and 74% of Burston women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Burston were Cowman and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Burston | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • General Labourer
    21%
  • Builders Labourer
    9%
  • Gardener
    7%
  • Cowman
    6%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    74%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Incapacitated
    4%

What Burston family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 16,000 census records available for the last name Burston. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burston census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Burston

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Burston. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Burston immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Burston. For the veterans among your Burston ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Burston military records

You've only scratched the surface of Burston family history

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What is the average Burston lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Burston life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1941, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Burston in 1941 was 36, and 70 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Burston

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Burston ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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