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Show ContentsBurgess History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The name Burgess was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Burgess family lived in Sussex. The name is derived from the Middle English word burge(i)s, or the Old French word burgeis which both mean "inhabitant and freeman of a fortified town." [1]

This line are believed to be descended from the Barons Burghersh, which later became Burwash, a parish in that county. A line of the family also remained in Normandy, as Simon de Borgeis was noted there in 1195. [2] But originally the family was from Bourgeois in Picardy, France. This line of barons became extinct in 1369.

Early Origins of the Burgess family

The surname Burgess was first found in Sussex where one of the first records of the name was Ralph de Burgeis, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex in 1195. Philip Burgis was listed in Leicestershire in 1199 and Philip Burges, Burgeis was listed in Oxfordshire in 1220, 1234. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex listed Walter le Borgeys in 1296. [3]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Hawise Burgeys in Bedfordshire; Philip Burgeis on Oxfordshire; John le Burges in Southampton; and Thomas Burgeys in Norfolk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 179 list: Adam Burgeys and Johannes Burges. [4]

Further to the south in Cornwall, "the barton of Cuskease [in the parish of St. Erth] belonged formerly to the family of Burgess of Trethingey. From these it passed by an heiress to the Hoblyns of Nanswhyden, in whom it is still vested." [5]

Early History of the Burgess family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burgess research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1115, 1382, 1515, 1589, 1650, 1664, 1665, 1673, 1685, 1690, 1716, 1746, 1747 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Burgess History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burgess Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Burgess, Burgeis, Burghersh, Burges, Burgesse, Burgar, Bergiss, Bergess, Bargess, Bargeis, Bergeus, Burgeus, Burgeuss and many more.

Early Notables of the Burgess family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Cornelius Burges or Burgess, D.D. (ca.1589-1665), an English minister, descended from the Burgesses of Batcombe, Somerset

Burgess World Ranking

In the United States, the name Burgess is the 346th most popular surname with an estimated 77,097 people with that name. [6] However, in Canada, the name Burgess is ranked the 541st most popular surname with an estimated 9,037 people with that name. [7] And in Newfoundland, Canada, the name Burgess is the 776th popular surname with an estimated 54 people with that name. [8] Australia ranks Burgess as 193rd with 16,681 people. [9] New Zealand ranks Burgess as 117th with 3,724 people. [10] The United Kingdom ranks Burgess as 191st with 29,315 people. [11]

Ireland Migration of the Burgess family to Ireland

Some of the Burgess family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 94 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Burgess migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Burgess or a variant listed above:

Burgess Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Miss. Burgess, (b. 1611), aged 26, British servant to Mr John Gedney departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading to Salem [12]
  • Joane Burgess, who landed in Maryland in 1638 [13]
  • Alexander Burgess, who arrived in New England in 1651-1652 [13]
  • Joseph Burgess, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [13]
  • Robert Burgess, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [13]
Burgess Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Burgess, who landed in Virginia in 1700 [13]
  • Tho Burgess, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 [13]
  • Eliz Burgess, who landed in Virginia in 1704 [13]
  • Edward Burgess, who arrived in Virginia in 1712 [13]
  • Thomas Burgess, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 [13]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Burgess Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Robert Burgess, who arrived in America in 1805 [13]
  • Samuel Burgess, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1840 [13]
  • George Burgess, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1847 [13]
  • Ann and George Burgess, who arrived in Boston in 1847
  • Alexander Burgess jumped ship, the "Royal George," and settled at Witless Bay in 1847
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Burgess Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mrs. Frances Burgess, (b. 1879), aged 26, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Syracuse, New York, USA [14]
  • Mr. Henry Burgess, (b. 1870), aged 35, Cornish farm hand travelling aboard the ship "St Louis" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to New York, Syracuse [14]
  • W Burgess, who landed in Arkansas in 1905 [13]

Canada Burgess migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burgess Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Burgess U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1783 was part of the Port Matoon Association [15]
  • Mr. John Burgess U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 [15]
  • Patrick Burgess, who settled in St. Mary's, Newfoundland, in 1792 [16]
Burgess Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Burgess and his wife and their eight children, who settled in Prescott, Ontario in 1825
  • Daniel Burgess and his wife Avice settled in Prescott, Ontario, in 1825 with their seven children
  • Arthur Burgess, who immigrated to Quebec in 1850
  • Henry Burgess, who landed in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Australia Burgess migration to Australia +

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

Burgess Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Burgess, British Convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [17]
  • Mr. John Burgess, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [18]
  • Mr. Robert Burgess, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 5th June 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [19]
  • Mr. Richard Richardson Burgess, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 13th July 1822, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [20]
  • Thomas S. Burgess, a joiner, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Burgess 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:

Burgess Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Burgess, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
  • Isaac James Burgess, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1840
  • W B Burgess, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Oriental
  • W. B. Burgess, aged 30, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "Oriental" in 1840
  • Mr. W. B. Burgess, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 [21]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Burgess (post 1700) +

  • Bill Burgess (1941-2023), American college head football coach at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama, for 12 seasons, from 1985 until 1996, compiling a record of 84–49–4
  • Ronnie Burgess (1963-2021), American defensive back in the National Football League
  • Albert Austin "Sonny" Burgess (1929-2017), American rockabilly guitarist and singer
  • Sharna Burgess, American actress, known for her wok on Dancing with the Stars
  • Lieutenant General Ronald L Burgess Jr. (b. 1952), American Army officer, Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2005 to 2007
  • Michael C. Burgess (b. 1950), American physician and politician
  • Thornton Burgess (1874-1965), American conservationist and children's author
  • Neil Burgess (1846-1910), American vaudeville comedian
  • B. A. Burgess, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1916, 1924 [22]
  • Asa Burgess, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Canterbury, 1820 [22]
  • ... (Another 110 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mrs. Rose Ellen Burgess (1921-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; she died in the crash [23]
  • Mr. Lindsay Robert Burgess (1919-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Whangarei, North Island, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash [23]
Empress of Ireland
  • Mrs. Susan Burgess (1854-1914), née Robertson Canadian Second Class Passenger from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who was traveling aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [24]
Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. Linus Burgess, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died [25]
  • Mr. George D. Burgess, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died [25]
Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Theodore Harding  Burgess (1869-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [26]
  • Master Frederick  Burgess (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [26]
  • Mr. Adam  Burgess (1880-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) [26]
HMAS Sydney II
HMS Hood
  • Mr. Henry Burgess (b. 1921), Scottish Warrant Ordnance Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Carlisle, Cumberland, Scotland, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [28]
HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Geoffrey Haydn Burgess, English Marine from Ryecroft, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [29]
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Henry George Burgess, English 1st Class Passenger from Bradford, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [30]
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Charles Reginald Burgess, aged 18, English Extra Third Baker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking by escaping in life boat 15 [31]

Suggested Readings for the name Burgess +

  • The Burgess Family by Harol Donal Burgess.
  • Burgess, Mullins, Browning, Brown and Allied Families by James A. Burgess.
  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. 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)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  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)
  9. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  10. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  11. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  12. Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html
  13. 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)
  14. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  15. 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
  16. Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
  17. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  20. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  21. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  22. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  23. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx
  24. Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 16) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
  25. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1
  26. 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
  27. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  28. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  29. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  30. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  31. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
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