Bourne
A habitational surname for someone who lived near a stream, spring, or boundary brook.
The #3,823 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 33,306 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Bourne comes from Old English burna, meaning a brook, stream, or spring. In some place-names it could also refer more broadly to a watercourse or boundary stream. As a surname, it was first used for someone identified by residence near such a feature, or from a place named with this element.
History
The name is common in English place-names and shows up in many medieval spellings such as Burne and Bourn. It became established as a surname in several English counties, especially in areas with villages or parishes called Bourne or Bourn. Later spellings often shifted under local pronunciation, producing related forms such as Burn and Burns in some cases.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Medieval surname dictionaries often gloss Bourne simply as “at the burn,” reflecting how directly it points to a streamside home.
From the historical record
“PANG BOU RN \ (Berks), A.D. 843-4 Pteginga- PANG BOURNE J burna = the Br,ook of the Pmg{a. Family {-inga, genit, pi. of the fil. suff. -ing ; burna, a brook]”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)