Holding steady.
Popularity of Burleigh since 1892
Babies named Burleigh per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 1932, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Burleigh's real moment was 1892.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 11 |
| 1900s | 0 |
| 1910s | 59 |
| 1920s | 113 |
| 1930s | 137 |
| 1940s | 78 |
| 1950s | 51 |
| 1960s | 13 |
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 0 |
| 1990s | 0 |
| 2000s | 0 |
| 2010s | 0 |
| 2020s | 0 |
Meaning & origin
Burleigh is an exceedingly rare given name, almost exclusively masculine, that first appeared in U.S. birth records in 1892. Its peak year was also 1892, with no recorded instances in any year since then that would place it within the top 1000 names for any decade. The name has remained stable in its obscurity, never experiencing a revival. As a surname-turned-first-name, it fits the pattern of Victorian-era naming but never gained traction. Its top states of use are not identifiable due to its extreme rarity, with likely no more than a handful of bearers in total. Burleigh, with its Old English echoes of 'birch wood' or 'fort clearing', remains a curiosity of historical onomastics rather than a living given name.
Burleigh is an English surname-turned-first-name, likely derived from a place name. It may be a variant of Burley, which comes from Old English 'burh' (fort) + 'leah' (clearing), or of Berkeley, from 'beorc' (birch) + 'leah'. The name was first recorded as a given name in the 1890s, reflecting the Victorian era's penchant for using surnames as first names. It has seen very limited use, primarily in the United States.
Nicknames & variants
Sibling names for Burleigh
Names that share Burleigh's style, for a brother or sister.
