Explore the Family Name Burmeister

The meaning of Burmeister

North German: status name for the mayor or chief magistrate of a town, village, or peasant commune (Bauerschaft), from Middle Low German būr ‘inhabitant, dweller, neighbor, peasant, citizen’ + mēster ‘master’. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Erwin, Klaus, Otto, Ewald, Fritz, Gerhardt, Gernot, Hans, Horst, Juergen, Ulrike.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Burmeister in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Burmeister saw a slight decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Burmeister was ranked 6,903rd most popular surname, but it fell to the 7,338th position by 2010, marking a decrease of 6.3%. Despite the drop in rank, the number of individuals with this surname slightly increased from 4,483 to 4,543 over the decade, a growth of 1.34%. However, when looking at the proportion per 100k individuals, there was a decrease from 1.66 to 1.54, showing a reduction of 7.23%.

20002010Change
Rank#6,903#7,338-6.3%
Count4,4834,5431.34%
Proportion per 100k1.661.54-7.23%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Burmeister

Analyzing the ethnicity associated with the surname Burmeister, data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates various changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of individuals carrying this surname identified as White, though there was a small decrease from 96.68% to 95.53%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Black saw the most significant increase, jumping by 84% from 0.25% to 0.46%. Further, there were also increases among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (from 0.45% to 0.59%), Two or more races (from 0.83% to 1.08%) and Hispanic (from 1.43% to 1.78%). The identity group of American Indian and Alaskan Native also saw an increase from 0.38% to 0.55%.

20002010Change
White96.68%95.53%-1.19%
Hispanic1.43%1.78%24.48%
Two or More Races0.83%1.08%30.12%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.45%0.59%31.11%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.38%0.55%44.74%
Black0.25%0.46%84%

Burmeister ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Burmeister is French & German, which comprises 39.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are British & Irish (27.2%) and Eastern European (12.1%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
French & German39.0%
British & Irish27.2%
Eastern European12.1%
Other21.7%
Burmeister

Possible origins of the surname Burmeister

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Burmeister have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom73.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom73.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom73.30%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom72.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom72.40%

What Burmeister haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Burmeister is R-M167, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-M167 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M405 and I-M170, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Heintz, Oleson, Sauer, Knorr, Kranz, Post, Fromm, Deyoung, Schramm, Laporte.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Burmeister surname are: H1, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

burmeisterPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343

Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara

Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Burmeister have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Burmeister

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Burmeister" Surname 36.7%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Burmeister

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Burmeister" Surname 21.9%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Burmeister

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Burmeister" Surname 20.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Burmeister

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Burmeister" Surname 16.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Burmeister?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Burmeister are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

French & German 60.8%

23andMe Users 57.2%