An English surname, Burt comes from the Old English term ‘berht’ which meant light. The spelling variations for Burt include Burte, Burts, Berte, Birte, Birt and Burte. In England the Burt surname started in the Norfolk area. From there over the years it spread all along the southern coastal regions. The surname is concentrated from Kent in the east going west to Cornwall County. In central Scotland the Burt surname is common. Most Burt individuals live in Fife, Stirlingshire, Lancashire and Midlothian. Within the United States the original families settled in Virginia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, North Carolina and Indiana. Famous: Andrew Burt (actor from England), Cyril L. Burt (an accomplished expert in educational psychology in England), Wesley Burt (artist), Heinz Burt (English singer), Jim Burt (professional football player), Maxwell Struthers Burt (novelist, short story writer and poet), William Austin Burt (inventor in 1829 of typographer - the first typewriter, a solar compass and solar surveying equipment), Jim Burt (early radio and television sports broadcaster), Warren Burt (music composer from Australia) and Patsy Burt (race car driver from England).