Show ContentsBurmester History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Burmester family begins almost a millennium ago, in the northern German region of Schleswig-Holstein, where the family name first emerged. The name Burmester is derived from the German words "bur" or "bauer," meaning "farmer," and "meister," meaning "master;" thus, the name literally means "master farmer." Alternatively, the Low German term "Burmester" refers to the town elder who held the position just below that of the mayor. From this source, the original bearer of the name Burmester was likely the master of an estate or a prominent figure in his village.

Early Origins of the Burmester family

The surname Burmester was first found in Schleswig-Holstein, where the surname was first recorded. The earliest known bearer was Godeke Burmeister, who lived in the city of Rostock in 1265.

Early History of the Burmester family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burmester research. Another 74 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1334, 1400, 1608, 1675, 1681 and 1714 are included under the topic Early Burmester History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burmester Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burmeister, Burmester, Burenmeister, Burmaster, Burenmester, Burenmeister, Boermeester, Buhrmeister and many more.

Early Notables of the Burmester family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burmester Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Burmester migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burmester Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J Burmester, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 [1]
  • Friedrich Burmester, who landed in Galveston, Tex in 1850 [1]
  • Heinrich Burmester, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 [1]
  • Wilhelm Burmester, who arrived in America in 1851 [1]

Contemporary Notables of the name Burmester (post 1700) +

  • Leo Burmester (1944-2007), American actor
  • Willy Burmester (1869-1933), German violinist
  • Hans-Jürgen Burmester (1916-1998), German Major in the Wehrmacht during World War II, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  • Ludwig Ernst Hans Burmester (1840-1927), German kinematician and geometer, eponym of Burmester's theory
  • Admiral Sir Rudolf Miles Burmester KBE CB CMG (1875-1956), Royal Navy officer, Commander-in-Chief, Africa Station
  • Oswald Hugh Ewart Burmester (1897-1977), British specialist in Arabic Coptology
  • Mark Greville Burmester (b. 1968), former Zimbabwean cricketer
  • Moss James Burmester (b. 1981), New Zealand World Champion Olympic swimmer

Bismarck
  • Erich Burmester (1920-1975), German Maschinengefreiter serving aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he survived the sinking [2]


  1. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  2. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


Houseofnames.com on Facebook