Bursey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Bursey was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Bursey family lived in Wiltshire. The family name comes from a place in Normandy called Burcy, in the arrondisement of Vire, Canton of Vassy, Normandy. 1 In Devon, the name was often spelt Birhsie, having derived from the Old English word Beorhtsige. 2

Early Origins of the Bursey family

The surname Bursey was first found in Wiltshire where Serlo de Burci held lands in 1084. 2 Later, after the Norman Conquest, the Domesday Book of 1086 lists Serle Borci as holding lands in Somerset. 3 Still in Somerset, almost one hundred years later, Hugo de Burci was a Knights Templar in 1185. In Herefordshire, Rannulf Bursi was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1195 and in Norfolk, Hugh Bursey was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1275. 2

Early History of the Bursey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bursey research. Another 293 words (21 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1084, 1165, 1185 and 1582 are included under the topic Early Bursey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bursey Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Bursey are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Bursey include Bursey, Burcey, Bursie, Boursey, Borsey, Bourcey, Borsie and many more.

Early Notables of the Bursey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Bursey of Somerset

Bursey Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Bursey is the 97^th most popular surname with an estimated 326 people with that name. 4

Bursey migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Bursey, or a variant listed above:

Bursey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Richard Bursey, who settled in Maryland in 1742

Contemporary Notables of the name Bursey (post 1700) +

Cathy Bursey -Sabourin FRHSC (b. 1957), Canadian designer and Heraldic Artist, appointed Fraser Herald in 1989
Morley Byron Bursey (1912-2013), Newfoundland diplomat who helped develop the automotive section of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Cmdr Jack "Jacob" Bursey (1903-1980), Newfoundland polar explorer who accompanied Byrd on his third Antarctic Expedition (1939-1941), eponym of Mount Bursey and Bursey Icefalls, Antarctica

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)