Show ContentsBurne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Burne was "O Broin," in its Gaelic form, which means descendant of Bran. The family is descended from Bran, the king of Leinster who died in 1052, who, along with King Conn of the Hundred Battles descended from Cathair Mor, an earlier king of Leinster, who was also monarch of all Ireland around 200 AD.

Early Origins of the Burne family

The surname Burne was first found in Leinster, where they were descended from Bran, the King of Leinster who died in 1052. 1 He was descended from Cathair Mor King of Leinster, who was also Monarch of all Ireland about 200 A.D. From this stem King Conn of the Hundred Battles was also descended. During the Strongbow invasion in 1172, the family, along with the O'Tooles, were driven from their original lands in county Kildare, settling the wilder territory between Rathdrum and Shillelagh, in south Wicklow.

"The O'Bymes anciently possessed the greater part of the Barony of Ballinacor, County Wicklow, and wore powerful Chiefs in that part of the country. Byrne is the leading name now in the Counties of Wicklow, Dublin, and Louth." 2

The sept increased in importance, and like their similarly displaced neighbors, were especially noted for their lengthy and tenacious resistance to the English invaders. Their successes in this struggle were numerous. Their military exploits of this time are celebrated in a compilation by some thirty-five authors of Gaelic poetry called the Leabhar Branch (Book of the O'Byrnes).1

Early History of the Burne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burne research. Another 35 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1574, 1580, 1591, 1597, 1598, 1744, 1775, 1799 and 1830 are included under the topic Early Burne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burne Spelling Variations

The Middle Ages saw a great number of spelling variations for surnames common to the Irish landscape. One reason for these variations is the fact that surnames were not rigidly fixed by this period. The following variations for the name Burne were encountered in the archives: Byrne, Byrnes, O'Byrne, O'Byrnes and others.

Early Notables of the Burne family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

  • Nicol Burne (fl. 1574-1598), a Scottish Roman Catholic controversialist


Burne migration to the United States +

In the 19th century, thousands of Irish left their English-occupied homeland for North America. Like most new world settlers, the Irish initially settled on the eastern shores of the continent but began to move westward with the promise of owning land. The height of this Irish migration came during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. With apparently nothing to lose, Irish people left on ships bound for North America and Australia. Unfortunately a great many of these passengers lost their lives - the only thing many had left - to disease, starvation, and accidents during the long and dangerous journey. Those who did safely arrive in "the land of opportunities" were often used for the hard labor of building railroads, coal mines, bridges, and canals. The Irish were critical to the quick development of the infrastructure of the United States and Canada. Passenger and immigration lists indicate that members of the Burne family came to North America quite early:

Burne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Randall Burne, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 3
  • Randall Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1658 3
  • John Burne, who landed in Maryland in 1674 3
  • William Burne, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 3
Burne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
  • Ellinor Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1701 3
  • James Burne, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 3
  • Robert Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
  • Bran Burne, who landed in Virginia in 1702 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Burne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Burne, aged 22, who landed in New York in 1812 3
  • James Burne, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1823 3
  • Percy Burne, who landed in New York in 1836 3
  • Mr. John Burne, (b. 1862), aged 27, Cornish mason departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving in the United States on 8 April 1889 4
  • Mr. William Burne, (b. 1869), aged 20, Cornish mason departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving in the United States on 8 April 1889 4

Burne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burne Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Michael Burne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Robert Burne, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Burne migration to Australia +

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

Burne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Eleanor Burne, (Boin, Byrne), Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • Mr. James Burne, (Byrne), (b. 1798), aged 19, Irish carpenter who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 25th May 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1838 6
  • John Burne, aged 30, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Indian" 7
  • Charlotte Burne, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Indian" in 1849 7
  • Mary Burne, aged 23, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Marion" in 1849 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Burne 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:

Burne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Burne, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Mrs. Jane J Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
  • Mr. William C. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
  • Mr. John B. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
  • Miss Isabella J. Burne, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Prince Alfred" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand in 1858 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Burne (post 1700) +

  • Christopher F. Burne, United States Air Force Lieutenant General and current Judge Advocates General of the Air Force
  • Nancy Burne (1907-1954), English stage and film actress
  • Loh Gwo Burne (b. 1974), Malaysian politician
  • Charlotte Sophia Burne (1850-1923), English author and editor, the first woman to become president of the Folklore Society
  • Alfred Higgins Burne (1886-1959), British soldier and military historian who invented the concept of Inherent Military Probability
  • Burne Hogarth (1911-1996), American cartoonist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip
  • Burne Hogarth (1911-1996), American cartoonist, illustrator, educator and author, eponym of the Engravers' Copyright Act, better known as Hogarth's Act which gave protection to producers of engravings


The Burne 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: Certavi et vici
Motto Translation: I have fought and conquered.


  1. MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
  2. Matheson, Robert E., Special Report on Surnames in Ireland with Notes as to Numeric Strength, Derivation, Ethnology, and Distribution. Dublin: Alexander Thom & Co., 1894. Print
  3. 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)
  4. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 20th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The INDIAN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Indian.htm
  8. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The MARION 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Marion.htm
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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