Burns' great-great-grandfather Abraham W. Burns (1833-1911) was a private in McClanahan's Company, Virginia Horse Artillery also known as the Staunton Artillery (Confederate) during the American Civil War. He also served in Company K,52nd Virginia Infantry.
He is the son of Lyla Smith (Tupper), from Clarksburg, Harrison, West Virginia, and Robert Kyle Burns, Jr., from Hamilton County, Ohio. His father was a cultural anthropologist. His ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, and German.
Attended Ann Arbor Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan.