Show ContentsBurroughs History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Burroughs is a name of ancient Norman origin. It arrived in England with the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Burroughs 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 Burroughs family

The surname Burroughs 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 Burroughs family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burroughs 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 Burroughs History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burroughs 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 Burrough, Burgh, Borrows, Burrowes, Burroughs, Burrows, Burroughes and many more.

Early Notables of the Burroughs family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir John Borough (d. 1643), was Garter King of Arms, "whose name is often incorrectly written Burroughs, was grandson of William Borough, of Sandwich, Kent." 5
  • Jeremiah Burroughs (sometimes Burroughes) (c. 1600-1646), was an English Congregationalist and a well-known Puritan preacher; Isaac Barrow (1630-1677), was an English Christian theologian, and mathema...

Burroughs Ranking

In the United States, the name Burroughs is the 1,701st most popular surname with an estimated 17,409 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Burroughs family to Ireland

Some of the Burroughs 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.


Burroughs 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, travelling 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 Burroughs or a variant listed above:

Burroughs Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John and George Burroughs who, who settled in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630
  • Mr. Robert Burroughs, who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 8

Burroughs migration to Australia +

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

Burroughs Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Burroughs, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. John Burroughs, (b. 1820), aged 16 who was convicted in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 4th August 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Burroughs (post 1700) +

  • Sean Patrick Burroughs (1980-2024), American Major League Baseball third baseman who played for the San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Minnesota Twins, gold Olympic medalist
  • Nannie Helen Burroughs (1878-1961), American educator, orator, religious leader, civil rights activist, feminist and businesswoman, founder of the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C
  • Earl Solomon Burroughs (1925-2016), known by his stage name Jack Hammer, an American pianist, singer and songwriter, co-writer of "Great Balls of Fire"
  • Augusten Xon Burroughs (b. 1965), born Christopher Richter Robison, an American writer known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Running with Scissors (2002)
  • Franklin G. Burroughs (1834-1897), American turpentine and naval entrepreneur, co-founder of Burroughs and Collins company, later known as Burroughs and Chapin in 1895
  • Jordan Ernest Burroughs (b. 1988), American world and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling, four-time gold medalist
  • Major George Tyler Burroughs (1833-1913), American businessman and Civil War veteran, father of Edgar Rice Burroughs
  • William Seward Burroughs II (1914-1997), also known by his pen name William Lee, an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer, grandson of William Seward Burroughs I
  • John Burroughs (1837-1921), American naturalist, essayist and poet, eponym of The John Burroughs Medal
  • Jeffrey Alan Burroughs (b. 1951), American Major League Baseball player who played from 1970 to 1985, two-time All-Star (1974, 1978), AL MVP (1974) and AL RBI champion (1974), father of Sean Burroughs
  • ... (Another 37 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Bertram Burroughs, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 11
RMS Titanic
  • Mr. Arthur Peckham Burroughs (d. 1912), aged 35, English Fireman/Stoker from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 12


The Burroughs 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.


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Burke, John Bernard, The Roll of Battle Abbey. London: Edward Churton, 26, Holles Street, 1848, Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. '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].
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
  7. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  8. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  11. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
  12. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html


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