Find out how popular the last name Firth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Firth.

Firth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Firth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Firth in America

Firth is the 10136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Firth surname appeared 3,181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Firth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Firth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Firth

The surname Firth originates from the northern counties of England and is derived from the Old Norse word "fjörðr," meaning a small inlet or bay. It is believed to have been first used as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a small inlet or firth.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Firth can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Frith." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded the names and landholdings of the English nobility and commoners at the time.

During the medieval period, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Fryth, Frith, and Fyrth, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. It was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham, where many of the earliest recorded bearers of the name can be found.

In the 13th century, a notable figure named Roger de Firth was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, indicating the presence of the name in the region. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, the surname Firth was associated with several notable individuals. One of them was John Firth (1519-1565), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed for his faith during the Elizabethan period.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Thomas Firth (1567-1629), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge.

In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the achievements of Abraham Firth (1709-1785), a prominent English industrialist and inventor who pioneered the development of the crucible steel-making process.

The 19th century saw the rise of Mark Firth (1819-1880), a British businessman and politician who co-founded the steel manufacturing company known as Firth Brown & Co., which later became part of the larger Firth Vickers Group.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname Firth is the British actor Colin Firth, born in 1960. He is renowned for his roles in various films, including "Pride and Prejudice," "The King's Speech," and "Bridget Jones's Diary," for which he received numerous accolades and awards.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Firth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Firth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Firth was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Firth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Firth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Firth, please contact us.

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