Maroon, the word as a color name, has been in use since 1791. It is derived from the French word for chestnuts.
Burgundy, as a color word, has been in use since 1915. It is descriptive of the red wines of the Burgundy region of France.
When working with color, the name has very little use unless you are comparing the same product (paint, paper, cloth) from the same manufacturer (Glidden, Hammermill, Kaufman). Pantone has given Maroon the code 18-1619 and Burgundy the code 19-1617.
When you get right down to it, color names are never going to mean the same from one person to the next. All that really matters is an actual color's relationship to the other colors it is hanging out with at the time.
Just wondering why you are trying to nail down a difference between them...care to share?
