What We Know About the Bourn Surname

Clerks wrote Bourne in many ways, and Bourn is one that stuck. At root, the name means “Stream”.

Family crest and blazon

Heraldry is personal: arms associated with the Bourne surname were borne by specific families, and sharing the name does not mean sharing the blazon.

Spelling and variants

Bourn drops the “e” of Bourne, a shortening that clerks often made.

The 2010 census count for Bourn in the United States was 1,919, good for rank 15,296. Names that sound alike, such as Burn, Born and Borin, are easily confused in old records. Want more than a summary? See the Bourn family name pack.