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. In other cases the surname Burns originated as a nickname meaning "burn house". In other cases, the surname Burns is an Anglicised form of the Irish Ó Broin, which means "descendant of Bran". In some cases the surname Burns is an Americanized form of the Jewish surname Bernstein, which is derived from the German bernstein ("amber").
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.
List of notable persons with the surname Burns
A
Aaron Burns (born 1985), American film producer and actor
Adrian Burns (born 1971), Australian rules footballer
Agnes Burns (1762–1834), Scottish social figure
A. K. Burns (born 1975), American artist
Alan Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Albert Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Alayna Burns (born 1980), Australian cyclist
Alec Burns (1907–2003), English track and field athlete
Alec Burns (cricketer) (born 1948), Trinidadian cricketer
Alex Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Alistair Burns (born 1964), English curler
Allan Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Allen Burns (1870–1925), Australian rules footballer
Andréa Burns (born 1971), American actress and singer
Andrew Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Andy Burns (born 1990), American baseball player
Angela Burns, British politician and businesswoman
Anna Burns (born 1962), Northern Irish author
Anne Burns (1915–2001), British engineer and pilot
Anne Burns (linguist), Welsh-Australian linguist
Anthony Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Antoine Burns (born 1979), American football player
Archibald Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Archibaldo Burns (1914–2011), Mexican film director and writer
Arnold Burns (1930–2013), American lawyer
Arthur Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Artie Burns (born 1995), American football player
B
Barnabas Burns (1817–1883), American politician and soldier
Barnet Burns (1805–1860), English sailor
Barry Burns, Scottish musician
Bart Burns (1918–2007), American actor
Beatrice Burns (1906–1988), American political figure
Ben Burns (1913–2000), American publisher
Benedict Delisle Burns (1915–2001), British neurophysiologist
Berta Burns (1893–1972), New Zealand journalist and activist
Beth Burns (born 1957), American basketball coach
Beverly Burns (born 1949), American aviator
Bill Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Billy Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Billy Joe Burns (born 1989), Northern Irish footballer
Bob Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Bobby Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Braidon Burns (born 1996), Australian rugby league footballer
Breehn Burns, American screenwriter
Brenda Burns (born 1950), American politician
Brendon Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Brent Burns (born 1985), Canadian hockey player
Brian Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Britt Burns (born 1959), American baseball player
Brooke Burns (born 1978), American model and actor
Bruce Burns (born 1952), American politician
Bryant Burns (born 1929), Australian politician
Burnie Burns (born 1973), American writer and filmmaker
Burton Burns (born 1952), American football coach
C
Carol Burns (1947–2015), Australian actor
Carolyn Burns (born 1942), New Zealand ecologist
Casey Burns (born 1975), American illustrator
Catherine Burns (1945–2019), American actress
Catherine Lloyd Burns (born 1961), American actress and writer
C. B. Burns (1879–1968), American baseball player
C. Delisle Burns (1879–1942), English writer
Cha Burns (1957–2007), Scottish guitarist
Charles Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Chris Burns (disambiguation), multiple people
Christian Burns (born 1974), British musician
Christian Burns (basketball) (born 1985), Italian-American basketball player
