Burnett History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

Early Origins of the Burnett family

The surname Burnett was first found in Berwickshire where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated at Faringdon where they held a manor and estates in that shire. The earliest record was of Robert Burnett in 1128. Later, an Alexander Burnard or Burnett went north with King Robert I and acquired lands in the forest of Drum. He was also granted the barony of Tulliboyll in Kincardine. Roger Burnard, his successor, had four sons, Goufrid, Ralph, Walter, and Richard. Crathes Castle is the family seat; it dates from 1553, and contains some extraordinary 16th century painted ceilings.

Early History of the Burnett family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burnett research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1208, 1615, 1643, 1663, 1664, 1669, 1674, 1679, 1684, 1688, 1715, 1720, 1728, 1729 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Burnett History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnett Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burnett, Burnet, Burnatt, Burnat and others.

Early Notables of the Burnett family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Alexander Burnard of the barony of Tulliboyll. Alexander Burnet (1615-1684), a Scottish clergyman, Bishop of Aberdeen (1663-1664), Archbishop of Glasgow...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burnett Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnett World Ranking

In the United States, the name Burnett is the 505^th most popular surname with an estimated 57,201 people with that name. 1 However, in Australia, the name Burnett is ranked the 599^th most popular surname with an estimated 6,512 people with that name. 2 And in New Zealand, the name Burnett is the 548^th popular surname with an estimated 1,285 people with that name. 3 The United Kingdom ranks Burnett as 494^th with 13,001 people. 4

Migration of the Burnett family to Ireland

Some of the Burnett family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burnett migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burnett Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo and Nicholas Burnett who settled in Virginia in 1635
Jo Burnett, aged 24, British settler who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Abraham" 5
Nich Burnett, who landed in Virginia in 1636 5
James Burnett, who landed in Virginia in 1639 5
Robert Burnett, who landed in Virginia in 1641 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burnett Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anne Burnett, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 5
Isabel Burnett, who arrived in New Jersey in 1702 5
Peter Burnett, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
Thomas Burnett, who landed in Virginia in 1717 5
John Burnett, who landed in Oxford, Maryland in 1747 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burnett Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Burnett, who arrived in America in 1807 5
Henry Burnett, aged 31, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 5
Reuben Burnett, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Patrick Burnett, aged 50, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Thomas Burnett, aged 32, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1812 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burnett migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burnett Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Burnett, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. William Burnett U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 6

Burnett Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

William Burnett, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
Eliza Burnett, aged 25, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Billow" in 1833
Elizabeth Burnett, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
Mr. John Burnett, (b. 1831), aged 24, Cornish labourer departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he died in the sinking 7

Burnett migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Burnett Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

John Burnett, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
Mr. William Burnett, English farm labourer who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Robert Burnett, a joiner, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
James Burnett, a carpenter, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. James Burnett, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Florentia" on 14th August 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burnett migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Burnett Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Samuel Burnett, aged 28, a ploughman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 11
Mary Burnett, aged 8, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 11
George Burnett, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 11
Samuel Burnett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Bengal Merchant 12
G W Burnett, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burnett migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13

Burnett Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Burnett who arrived in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Burnett (post 1700) +

Bobby Clell Burnett (1943-2016), American college and professional football player, AFL All-Star (1966)
Lester Alvin Burnett (1911-1967), nicknamed "Smiley Burnette", an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films, a frequent sidekick to Gene Autry
Dale R. Burnett (1909-1997), American NFL football running back for the New York Giants
William Riley "W.R." Burnett (1899-1982), American Academy Award nominated novelist and screenwriter
Sean Richard Burnett (b. 1982), American Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Mark Burnett (b. 1960), English-born, American multi-award winning television producer, inducted into the Producers Guild of America (2011), Time Magazine's: 'Time 100: 100 Most Influential People in the World Today' (2004)
Joseph Henry Burnett (b. 1948), known as T-Bone Burnett, an American musician, songwriter, and soundtrack and record producer
Allan James "A. J." Burnett (b. 1977), American professional Major League Baseball starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Brevet Brigadier General Henry Lawrence Burnett (1838-1916), American prosecutor in the trial that followed the Abraham Lincoln assassination
Leo Burnett (1891-1971), American advertising executive, famous for creating the icons the Jolly Green Giant, the Marlboro Man and the Pillsbury Doughboy
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Burnett family +

Halifax Explosion

Mr. Rodney Orlando Burnett (1891-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Joseph Burnett (1899-1941), Australian Captain from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 15

St. Francis Dam

Mr. Frederick "Fred" Arthur Burnett, American resident in Santa Clarita killed when the St. Francis Dam failed and flooded the area in 1928

USS Arizona

Mr. Charlie Leroy Burnett, American Seaman Second Class from Tennessee, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 16

The Burnett Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virescit vulnere virtus
Motto Translation: Courage grows stronger at the wound.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/florentia
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html