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Burse Family History

Burse Surname Meaning

Altered form of Bearse or Bearss both of English origin. Probably also an altered form of French Bourse: metonymic occupational name for a maker of purses Old French bourse (from Late Latin bursa).

English: variant of Bures or perhaps of Purse a cognate of 2 above with voicing of p to b.

German (also Bürse): variant of Bursch.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Burse family from?

You can see how Burse families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Burse family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Burse families were found in USA in 1920. In 1840 there were 2 Burse families living in Indiana. This was about 29% of all the recorded Burse's in USA. Indiana and 2 other states had the highest population of Burse families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Burse surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Burse ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Cook were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Burse. 37% of Burse men worked as a Laborer and 22% of Burse women worked as a Cook. Some less common occupations for Americans named Burse were Farming and Laborer.

View Census Data for Burse | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    37%
  • Farmer
    20%
  • Farm Laborer
    6%
  • Farming
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Cook
    22%
  • Maid
    16%
  • Housekeeper
    14%
  • Laborer
    7%

What Burse family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 7,000 census records available for the last name Burse. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Burse census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Burse

Passenger Lists

There are 436 immigration records available for the last name Burse. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Burse immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 993 military records available for the last name Burse. For the veterans among your Burse ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Burse military records

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