Fun Facts About the Name Burt
- More than 6 thousand babies named Burt: U.S. records list 6,555 babies given the name Burt from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Burt Mean?
Burt is an English masculine name. It is most often a short form of the English surname and place name Burton, which comes from Old English burh 'fortress, fortified place' and tun 'settlement, enclosure.' The literal sense is 'fortified settlement' or 'settlement by a fort.' Burt is also used as a short form of Bertram and other names beginning with Bert-. Those names go back to the Germanic element berht 'bright, famous'; Bertram itself combines berht with hraben 'raven' and means 'bright raven.' When Burt stands for one of these names, it is usually understood as 'bright' or 'famous' rather than as the full compound meaning. These are separate origins tied to different parent names, so no single etymology covers every Burt.
Burt Name History & Origins
Burt developed as both an English surname and a given name. The surname has more than one possible source. It can be a shortened form of Burton, a habitational surname from the many English places named Burton; these place names use Old English burh and tun. It can also come from a Middle English personal name Burt, which may derive from an Old English name containing beorht 'bright' or burg 'fortress.' As a given name, Burt became familiar in the English-speaking world as a nickname for Burton and for Bertram, and it was also used on its own. In the United States, it has appeared as a formal given name, often standing in for a longer name such as Burton. The actor Burt Lancaster was born Burton Lancaster, and the actor Burt Reynolds was born Burton Reynolds, showing how the short form was used in modern times.
How Popular is the Name Burt?
Burt recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 1956. Its best rank was #258 in 1880.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #10,986 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #11,614 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #9,745 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #7,537 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1998 | #7,665 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1997 | #8,269 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #7,924 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #6,445 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #7,751 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #3,775 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #6,016 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #4,193 | 13 | 0.0006% |
| 1989 | #3,641 | 15 | 0.0007% |
| 1988 | #3,375 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1987 | #3,359 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1986 | #2,906 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1985 | #2,959 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #1,801 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1983 | #2,093 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 1982 | #1,656 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1981 | #1,435 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1980 | #1,344 | 49 | 0.0027% |
| 1979 | #1,305 | 50 | 0.0029% |
| 1978 | #1,068 | 66 | 0.0040% |
| 1977 | #1,080 | 64 | 0.0039% |
| 1976 | #1,125 | 57 | 0.0036% |
| 1975 | #1,003 | 67 | 0.0043% |
| 1974 | #1,039 | 63 | 0.0040% |
| 1973 | #792 | 100 | 0.0064% |
| 1972 | #1,062 | 58 | 0.0036% |
| 1971 | #985 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 1970 | #918 | 76 | 0.0041% |
| 1969 | #893 | 73 | 0.0041% |
| 1968 | #829 | 78 | 0.0045% |
| 1967 | #751 | 97 | 0.0056% |
| 1966 | #787 | 85 | 0.0048% |
| 1965 | #777 | 90 | 0.0048% |
| 1964 | #800 | 89 | 0.0045% |
| 1963 | #758 | 103 | 0.0051% |
| 1962 | #732 | 109 | 0.0053% |
| 1961 | #799 | 91 | 0.0043% |
| 1960 | #745 | 107 | 0.0050% |
| 1959 | #693 | 122 | 0.0057% |
| 1958 | #695 | 116 | 0.0055% |
| 1957 | #695 | 120 | 0.0056% |
| 1956 | #616 | 152 | 0.0072% |
| 1955 | #660 | 122 | 0.0059% |
| 1954 | #621 | 141 | 0.0069% |
| 1953 | #631 | 128 | 0.0065% |
| 1952 | #651 | 113 | 0.0058% |
| 1951 | #636 | 123 | 0.0065% |
| 1950 | #680 | 101 | 0.0056% |
| 1949 | #651 | 111 | 0.0063% |
| 1948 | #647 | 109 | 0.0062% |
| 1947 | #731 | 88 | 0.0048% |
| 1946 | #806 | 68 | 0.0042% |
| 1945 | #744 | 68 | 0.0051% |
| 1944 | #742 | 70 | 0.0051% |
| 1943 | #692 | 86 | 0.0060% |
| 1942 | #748 | 73 | 0.0053% |
| 1941 | #850 | 55 | 0.0045% |
| 1940 | #702 | 74 | 0.0064% |
| 1939 | #800 | 58 | 0.0052% |
| 1938 | #720 | 72 | 0.0065% |
| 1937 | #731 | 69 | 0.0065% |
| 1936 | #669 | 78 | 0.0075% |
| 1935 | #681 | 78 | 0.0075% |
| 1934 | #730 | 70 | 0.0068% |
| 1933 | #748 | 67 | 0.0068% |
| 1932 | #704 | 77 | 0.0074% |
| 1931 | #665 | 81 | 0.0078% |
| 1930 | #699 | 79 | 0.0072% |
| 1929 | #705 | 77 | 0.0072% |
| 1928 | #754 | 73 | 0.0066% |
| 1927 | #711 | 84 | 0.0075% |
| 1926 | #770 | 71 | 0.0064% |
| 1925 | #739 | 78 | 0.0070% |
| 1924 | #850 | 65 | 0.0057% |
| 1923 | #756 | 75 | 0.0068% |
| 1922 | #722 | 82 | 0.0075% |
| 1921 | #754 | 78 | 0.0071% |
| 1920 | #775 | 73 | 0.0069% |
| 1919 | #877 | 57 | 0.0058% |
| 1918 | #679 | 84 | 0.0083% |
| 1917 | #823 | 60 | 0.0065% |
| 1916 | #752 | 66 | 0.0074% |
| 1915 | #735 | 66 | 0.0078% |
| 1914 | #900 | 37 | 0.0057% |
| 1913 | #789 | 36 | 0.0070% |
| 1912 | #738 | 34 | 0.0079% |
| 1911 | #672 | 22 | 0.0097% |
| 1910 | #657 | 20 | 0.0103% |
| 1909 | #577 | 21 | 0.0128% |
| 1908 | #748 | 13 | 0.0084% |
| 1907 | #639 | 16 | 0.0109% |
| 1906 | #550 | 18 | 0.0135% |
| 1905 | #749 | 11 | 0.0083% |
| 1904 | #649 | 13 | 0.0101% |
| 1903 | #795 | 9 | 0.0075% |
| 1902 | #655 | 12 | 0.0098% |
| 1901 | #568 | 13 | 0.0122% |
| 1900 | #585 | 18 | 0.0120% |
| 1899 | #403 | 21 | 0.0198% |
| 1898 | #613 | 13 | 0.0106% |
| 1897 | #479 | 17 | 0.0151% |
| 1896 | #649 | 12 | 0.0100% |
| 1895 | #417 | 22 | 0.0187% |
| 1894 | #546 | 14 | 0.0121% |
| 1893 | #385 | 22 | 0.0196% |
| 1892 | #552 | 14 | 0.0115% |
| 1891 | #478 | 14 | 0.0138% |
| 1890 | #316 | 30 | 0.0270% |
| 1889 | #447 | 17 | 0.0154% |
| 1888 | #331 | 30 | 0.0248% |
| 1887 | #411 | 17 | 0.0168% |
| 1886 | #404 | 19 | 0.0172% |
| 1885 | #401 | 20 | 0.0186% |
| 1884 | #328 | 29 | 0.0253% |
| 1883 | #279 | 35 | 0.0335% |
| 1882 | #311 | 31 | 0.0273% |
| 1881 | #260 | 37 | 0.0367% |
| 1880 | #258 | 42 | 0.0380% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
