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Burris History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Burris History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Burris was brought to England in the wave of migration that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Burris family lived in Hampshire. The name was given to settlements located near a hill, and is from the Old English beorg, which means hill. It is from one of many English settlements so named that this family take their name. 1

Early Origins of the Burris family

The surname Burris was first found in Hampshire where they were descended from Hubert de Burgh, who became Lord of the Manor of Tichfield in that county.

"Robert de Burgh, Earl of Moreton in Normandy, son of Harlowen de Burgh, by Arlotta, his wife, mother of William the Conqueror, participated with his half-brother in the triumph at Hastings, was created Earl of Cornwall, and received, as a further recompense, grants of seven hundred and ninety-three manors. This potent noble left one son, William Earl of Cornwall, who, rebelling against the first Henry, joined Robert of Normandy, and led the van at the battle of Tenchebray. In this conflict, after displaying great personal valour, he fell into the hands of his opponents and was sent prisoner to England, where he was treated with much cruelty, the king causing his eyes to be put out, and detaining him in captivity for life. " 2

The township of Middleton in Lancashire is of particular historical importance to the family. "In the reign of Henry III., Hubert de Burgh, (c. 1170-1243) Earl of Kent, Lord Chief Justice of England, had a grant of the whole of Wyresdale, with remainder to his heirs: he left two sons, from one of whom descended the Burghs or Borroughs, of Gainsborough; and it is probable that William de Burgh, of Middleton, who died about 1323, was descended also from the chief justice." 3

Again in Lancashire another early record was found: William de Burgh, rector of the church of St. Elphin, Warrington, Lancashire in 1374. 4

John Borough, Burgh or De Burgo (d. 1386), was an English divine, D.D. of Cambridge and rector of Collingham, Nottinghamshire. 5

"Borough, in Northam [Devon], made ever famous by Kingsley in its association with his Sir Amyas Leigh, was the seat of a family of the same name, which produced at least two very eminent Devonshire seamen Steven and William Borough. Steven Borough, though little known, is entitled to a very honourable place in the list of Devon worthies. Born in 1525, he was master of the largest vessel, the Edward Bonaventure, in Sir Hugh Willoughby's luckless voyage to the Arctic Seas, planned by Cabot, and which would have been an utter failure had not Borough and his comrade, Richard Chancellor, the pilot-major of the fleet, determined to prosecute their voyage after they had been separated from Willoughby by a storm. In 1556, Borough went again to the Northern Seas in a pinnace, to carry forward the intentions of the original expedition, and to find a way by the north-east to Cathay. He made the most remarkable voyage in the annals of Arctic exploration. The little vessel drew only four feet of water. She had for crew only the brothers Borough and eight others; yet she entered the Kara Sea, and reached a point beyond which no navigator went until our own days English, Dutch, and Russian failing each in turn." 6

Early History of the Burris family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burris research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1243, 1259, 1271, 1320, 1440, 1465, 1472, 1500, 1525, 1536, 1579, 1584, 1587, 1599, 1600, 1620, 1630, 1634, 1641, 1642, 1643, 1646, 1650, 1660, 1663, 1673, 1677, 1685, 1691, 1692, 1703, 1709, 1713, 1764, 1787 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Burris History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burris Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Burrough, Burgh, Borrows, Burrowes, Burroughs, Burrows, Burroughes and many more.

Early Notables of the Burris family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Benedict Burgh (fl. 1472), English clerk and translator, Rector of Sandon, Essex, in 1440, Archdeacon of Colchester in 1465, a prebendary of St. Paul's in 1472; Stephen Borough (1525-1584), an English navigator, born on an estate of the some name in the parish of Northam, Devonshire, on 25 Sept. 1525. His son, Christopher Borough (fl. 1579-1587), was the chronicler of one of the most interesting journeys into Persia recorded in the pages of Hakluyt. 5Stephen's younger brother William Borough (1536-1599), was also an English navigator and author, born at Northam, Devonshire, in 1536...
Another 172 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Burris Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burris Ranking

In the United States, the name Burris is the 940^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Burris family to Ireland

Some of the Burris family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 230 words (16 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burris migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Burris or a variant listed above:

Burris Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George W Burris, aged 51, who arrived in America from Liverpool, in 1898

Burris Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Frederick Meredith Burris, aged 23, who arrived in America from Bristol, in 1904
Lizzie S. Burris, aged 17, who arrived in America from Bristol, England, in 1910
Florence P. Burris, aged 40, who arrived in America from Bristol, England, in 1910
Emily Burris, aged 22, who arrived in America from Rochdale, England, in 1912
Allen Burris, aged 35, who arrived in America in 1914
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burris migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burris Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Geo. P. Burris, aged 21, who arrived in Canada, in 1908
George Parker Burris, aged 24, who arrived at Musquosobait, Nova Scotia, in 1911

Burris migration to Australia +

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

Burris Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. John Burris, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 10th August 1789, sentenced for 7 years for theft, transported Atlantic" on 27th March 1791 to New South Wales, Australia 8

Burris Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Burris, British convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Samuel Burris, British convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for life, transported aboard the "Asia" on 19th November 1827, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
John Burris, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Nimroud"

Contemporary Notables of the name Burris (post 1700) +

Samuel Burris (1808-1869), American member of the Underground Railroad
Alva Burton Burris (1874-1938), American pitcher in Major League Baseball
Robert H. Burris (1914-2010), American professor in the Biochemistry Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Arthur C. "Art" Burris (1924-1993), American basketball player
Patrick Mitsugi Burris (b. 1950), retired competitive judoka from the United States
Kurt Burris (1932-1999), American gridiron football center
John Leonard Burris (b. 1945), American civil rights attorney
Jeffrey Lamar Burris (b. 1972), former professional American Football cornerback
Paul "Buddy" Burris (1923-2007), American football player
Henry Burris Jr. (b. 1975), professional Canadian and former American football player
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Burris 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: Animo et fide
Motto Translation: By courage and faith.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1827