Show ContentsBurgoyne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Burgoyne

What does the name Burgoyne mean?

The name Burgoyne was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Burgoyne family lived in Devon, where they held a family seat after the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. Originally from France, the name denoted a native of Burgundy as in 'de Burgoyne'. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Burgoyne family

The surname Burgoyne was first found in the Pipe Rolls of 1160 which includes an entry for Robert Burguignon (no county provided.) Later in London, we found John le Burguinun in the Pipe Rolls of 1173 and on the Isle of Man, the Pipe Rolls there listed John le Burguinn in 1214. John Burgoynoun was recorded at Trentham, Staffordshire in 1330. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: John de Burgoyne, Somerset; Almaric Burgoyne, Bedfordshire; and John Burgoyn, Gloucestershire. 5 Richard Burgoyne, was Rector of Newton, Norfolk (no date given). 6

Farther to the north in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Elizabet de Burgon. 5

"William Burgoyn was chamberlain of the city of Exeter in 1496, and William Burgoyn was sheriff of that city in 1537. In the 16th and 17th centuries a gentle family of Burgoin resided at Bideford; and in the reign of George I., Thomas Burgoyne was a Bideford gentleman. In fact, as far back as the time of Henry VIII., Jeofferie Burgin was a Bideford townsman. During the 16th and 17th centuries a gentle family of Burgoin flourished in the hamlet of Zeal near South Tawton. Robert Burgoine, Esq., was a Tiverton churchwarden in 1654. In the 13th century this name, in the forms of Burgoyn and Burgoyne, occasionally preceded by "De," occurred in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. The Burgoyns in the east of England were at that distant period important families, and it is stated by most of the Devonshire antiquarians and historians that the Devonshire stock hailed originally from Bedfordshire. If this is true, the migration must have occurred at a very early date, since not only, as I have observed above, were high official positions in the city of Exeter held by the Burgoyns in the reigns of Henry VII. and Henry VIII., a circumstance itself not indicative of recent immigration, but as far back as the reign of Edward I. the name was represented in the west of England in the counties of Somerset and Gloucester." 7

Early History of the Burgoyne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burgoyne research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1210, 1273, 1319, 1379, 1500, 1592, 1638, 1645, 1648, 1657, 1680, 1682, 1683, 1703, 1722, 1739, 1740, 1741, 1764, 1785, 1789, 1792 and 1795 are included under the topic Early Burgoyne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burgoyne 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 Burgon, Burgoin, Burgunie, Burgoyne, Burgoyn, Burgoigne, Burgane, Burgin and many more.

Early Notables of the Burgoyne family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Thomas Burgane, a prominent landholder in Scotland in the 16th century; and Sir John Burgoyne (c.1592-1657) 1st Baronet, an English politician, Member of Parliament for Warwickshire (1645-1648), suppo...
  • John Burgoyne (1722-1792), the English dramatist and general, was the only son of, Captain John Burgoyne, a man of fashion, who died in the rules of the king's bench, and grandson of Sir John Burgoyne...
  • Sir John Burgoyne (1739-1785), general, seventh baronet, of Sutton, Bedfordshire, and cousin of Lieutenant-general the Right Hon. John Burgoyne, was born in 1739, and entered the army at an early age...
  • Burgoyne's eldest son, Sir Montague Roger Burgoyne, eighth baronet, was also a cavalry officer, and like his father ultimately became a major-general. He entered the army as cornet in the Scots Greys...

Burgoyne Ranking

In the United States, the name Burgoyne is the 16,233rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8


Burgoyne 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 Burgoyne or a variant listed above:

Burgoyne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • G F Burgoyne, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 9
  • William Burgoyne, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1852 9
  • Percival Burgoyne, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1886 9
  • Miss Mary Burgoyne, (b. 1872), aged 21, Cornish settler, from Launceston, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Teutonic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 27th April 1893 en route to New York, USA 10

Burgoyne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burgoyne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Elizabeth Burgoyne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1752

Burgoyne migration to Australia +

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

Burgoyne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Benjamin Burgoyne, British Convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 11th August 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
  • Mr. James Burgoyne, English convict who was convicted in Plymouth, Devon, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
  • Mr. Joseph Burgoyne, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 20th January 1836, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • Susan Burgoyne, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "David Malcolm" in 1847 14
  • J. Burgoyne, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Woodall" in 1849 15
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burgoyne 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:

Burgoyne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Miss Sarah Burgoyne, (b. 1848), aged 30, Cornish general servant departing on 8th August 1878 aboard the ship "Edwin Fox" going to Napier, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand arriving in port on 17th November 1878 16
  • Alfred Burgoyne, aged 34, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" in 1875
  • Mary Burgoyne, aged 22, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" in 1875
  • Mr. William Burgoyne, (b. 1862), aged 13, Cornish settler departing on 29th April 1875 aboard the ship "Blairgowrie" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 22nd August 1875 17

Contemporary Notables of the name Burgoyne (post 1700) +

  • Grant Burgoyne (1953-2014), American politician, Member of the Idaho Senate (2014-2022)
  • Peter Bond Burgoyne (1844-1929), English wine merchant
  • Harry Burgoyne (b. 1996), English footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for League Two club Morecambe
  • Victoria Burgoyne (b. 1956), English actress, known for being a guest actress in the famously uncompleted 1979 Doctor Who serial Shada
  • Montagu Burgoyne (1750-1836), English politician, younger son of Sir Roger Burgoyne of Sutton, Bedfordshire, was a member of Trinity Hall, Cambridge 18
  • Sir John Fox Burgoyne (1782-1871), English military engineer, eldest of the four illegitimate children of Lieutenant-general the Right Hon. John Burgoyne 18
  • John Burgoyne (1739-1785), English general, 7th Baronet, of Sutton, Bedfordshire, and cousin of Lieutenant-general the Right Hon. John Burgoyne 18
  • Sir John Burgoyne (1592-1657), 1st Baronet, an English politician
  • Sir Roger Burgoyne (1618-1677), 2nd Baronet, an English politician
  • William Burgoyne (b. 1942), English cricketer
  • ... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMAS Sydney II


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  4. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  7. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. 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)
  10. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  12. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  14. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) DAVID MALCOLM 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847DavidMalcolm.htm
  15. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN WOODALL 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnWoodall.htm
  16. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to other ports, 1872 - 84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  17. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
  18. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 5 Feb. 2019
  19. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp


Houseofnames.com on Facebook