Burges

Burges is primarily a surname, a variant spelling of Burgess. The name traces to the Old English and Old French terms for a town, borough, or fortress, and it historically denoted a freeman or citizen of a borough. As a medieval toponymic or status name, Burges would have been applied to individuals connected with town life, governance, or municipal rights. Over time, it evolved through spelling variations and regional usage, and Burges persists in records and family histories in modern English-speaking regions.

In contemporary usage, Burges remains relatively uncommon compared with Burgess, but it appears in genealogical and administrative records, particularly in England and among descendants in Canada, Australia, and the United States. The form often reflects historical spelling choices or clerical variation rather than a distinct lineage. Because names shift with migration and record-keeping, some families bearing Burges today may share ancestry with those listed under Burgess.

Geographically, there is no widely recognized modern place named Burges in major reference gazetteers. If the name appears in a locality context, it is more likely to be a small feature, an historic name, or a variant spelling found in archival materials rather than a current, separate administrative entity.

See also: Burgess, Burgess (surname). The term Burges is closely related to those entries and is considered a less common variant in onomastic and genealogical contexts.