The asteroid #6235, also known as 1987 VB, is named Burney after Venetia Katharine Douglas Burney (married name Phair), who lived from 1918 until 2009 and first suggested Pluto’s name when she was eleven years old. The name Burney wasn’t suggested by the discoverers. (They must have suggested some rubbish, so that they got overruled.) Burney is most likely of the type L, but the type S is also considered. It is also disputed whether Burney is a non-family background asteroid or a member of the Hirayama-family Flora.

The family name Burney is most likely derived from a place name. Either from Brennath in Morey in Scotland or from Bernay in Calvados in France or from Bernay in Eure in France or from Berney in Norfolk in England. Bernay means settlement of Brenno, which is a Gaulish personal name, which means eminent. Burney could also mean son of Bjarni, which means warrior. In this case it would be a Gaelic adoption of the Norse name and then became Anglicized.

Serennu deems the asteroid Burney relevant. I wouldn’t have had this idea. But I deem Serennu’s opinion relevant. So I wonder whether suggesting the name Pluto, the only thing for which Venetia Burney became famous, is so important. The asteroid must have this name for hinting to the fact that celestial objects, as part of astrological forces, snatch their names. The astrological force Burney will hence, besides hinting to people and places with the name Burney, indicate being used as a tool.