Burston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In ancient Anglo-Saxon England, the ancestors of the Burston surname lived in Staffordshire, where they took their name from Burston. The place name literally meant “farmstead of a man called Burgwine or Burgwulf,” from the Old English personal name + “tun.” 1

Early Origins of the Burston family

The surname Burston was first found in Staffordshire at Burston which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Burouestone. 2 However, there are other villages and parishes named Burston throughout Britain including: Burston, Buckinghamshire, a small hamlet near Rowsham; Burston, Norfolk, a village near Diss; Burston and Shimpling, small villages in Norfolk; and Aston, with Burston and Stoke, a parish in Staffordshire.

The frequency of the villages is due to the aforementioned personal name. As far as the surname, some of the early records include: Godric filius Burstan, listed in Huntingdonshire in the 12th century and Nicholas de Burgeston who was listed in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1199. 3