Submitted Name Save Type Surname Usage English, Scottish Pronounced Pron. BUR-jəs(English) [key] Edit Status Status [history·contributorshide contributors] Added 3/13/2018 by 24burgessl Edited 5/6/2019 by SeaHorse15 Meaning & History Derived from the Middle English word burge(i)s or the Old French burgeis which both meant "inhabitant and (usually) freeman of a fortified town" (compare BURKE).