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Burr
How to Pronounce Burr
Pronounced BUR /ΛbΙr/High
Meaning: Burr is an English surname that comes from the word burr, the prickly seed-case or rough edge (also a nickname for a sturdy or prickly person). As a first name it was often a family surname passed down, in the American habit of using last names as first names.Low
Popularity in the U.S. Β· SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880βpresent). Pink marker = peak year.
SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.
History & Origin
Burr began as an English surname from the word burr - the spiny seed-case of plants like the burdock, and by extension a rough edge or a hardy person. Carried as a family surname (as with the statesman Aaron Burr), it was handed down as a first name. It appears in United States records from the 1880s with a small high in the 1910s, and was never common - given to only about two dozen boys a year.
A boy named Burr at its 1910s high would be a great-great-grandfather today; the name reads as sturdy, old-American and surname-style. A single blunt beat gives it real punch. It has not revived, but its terse, rugged sound fits the modern taste for one-syllable boys' names.
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Frequently Asked
What does the name Burr mean?
It is an English surname and nature word, from burr, the prickly seed-case of certain plants.
How do you pronounce Burr?
It's said BUR /ΛbΙr/, one syllable.
Is Burr a boy or girl name?
Burr is used as a boy's name.
How popular is Burr?
It has always been rare, an early-twentieth-century surname name given to only about two dozen boys a year.