Burns (surname)

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The surname Burns has several origins. In some cases, it derived from the Middle English or Scots burn, and originated as a topographic name for an individual who lived by a stream. In other cases the surname is a variant form of the surname Burnhouse , which originated as a habitational name, derived from a place name made up of the word elements burn and house. [1] In other cases the surname Burns originated as a nickname meaning "burn house". [2] In other cases, the surname Burns is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Broin , [1] which means "descendant of Bran". [3] In some cases the surname Burns is an Americanized form of the Jewish surname Bernstein , [1] which is derived from the German bernstein ("amber"). [4]

Contents

An early form of the surname when derived from the place name Burnhouse is "Burnis", recorded in 1526. An early form of the surname when derived from a nickname meaning "burn house" is "Brenhus", recorded in 1286 and 1275. [5]

List of notable persons with the surname Burns

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Fictional characters

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Burns, Answers.com , retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  2. ↑ Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood (ed.), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 63, 75, ISBN   0-19-863146-4 .
  3. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Byrne, Answers.com , retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  4. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of Family Names: Bernstein, Answers.com , retrieved 28 January 2013. This webpage is a partial transcription of Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, 2006.
  5. ↑ Reaney, Percy Hilde (1995), Wilson, Richard Middlewood (ed.), A Dictionary of English Surnames (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 75, ISBN   0-19-863146-4 .
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