2000
#13,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,052
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Fuerst
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a prince's house or castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,315 Americans carry the last name Fuerst. That puts it at #14,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 148,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuerst surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 148,058
Census rank
#14,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,019 bearers of the surname Fuerst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuerst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuerst
The surname Fuerst originated in Germany and is derived from the German word "Fürst," meaning "prince" or "ruler." It is believed to have originated as an occupational name for a person who worked in the service of a prince or ruler, or perhaps as a nickname for someone who carried themselves with a princely demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the Fuerst surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Heinrich Fuerst, who was mentioned in records from the city of Nuremberg in 1285, and Konrad Fuerst, who was documented in Cologne in 1297.
During the Middle Ages, the Fuerst surname was also found in various forms, such as Furste, Furst, and Fürst, due to regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. Additionally, some variations of the name were associated with specific locations, such as Firstenberg or Furstenberg, which were likely derived from place names.
One notable historical figure bearing the Fuerst surname was Philipp Fuerst (1530-1600), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Germany. Another prominent individual was Johann Fuerst (1575-1632), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the field of optics and the development of telescopes.
Other notable individuals with the Fuerst surname include:
1. Paul Fuerst (1856-1934), a German artist and painter known for his landscape and genre paintings.
2. Rudolph Fuerst (1838-1914), an Austrian-American composer and pianist who composed several operas and piano works.
3. Maximilian Fuerst (1846-1915), a German chemist and inventor who developed the first commercially successful artificial silk fiber, known as "Chardonnet silk."
4. Walter Fuerst (1895-1983), a German-American film producer and director who worked in both Germany and Hollywood during the 1920s and 1930s.
5. Renate Fuerst (1944-present), a German soprano opera singer who has performed in numerous productions across Europe and North America.
Overall, the Fuerst surname has a rich history rooted in German culture and tradition, with bearers of the name having made significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuerst
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuerst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuerst bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fuerst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 1,885
- Two or more races2.9% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuerst
Fuerst appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
+6 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 922 places
2020
#14,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,019
-39 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Up 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,573 | 2,052 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,495 | 2,058 | 0.70 | +6 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 922 places |
| 2020 | #14,273 | 2,019 | 0.68 | -39 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 222 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fuerst surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,495 | #14,273 | 1.5% |
| Count | 2,058 | 2,019 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.68 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuerst bearers went from 2,058 to 2,019 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,495 to #14,273.
FAQ
Fuerst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuerst?
Name Census estimates that about 2,315 living Americans carry the surname Fuerst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 148,058 residents.
How common is Fuerst?
Fuerst ranks #14,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,019 people with the surname Fuerst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,315), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fuerst.
Has Fuerst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuerst went from 2,058 recorded bearers to 2,019. That is a decrease of 39 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,495 to #14,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuerst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuerst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fuerst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (1,885 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuerst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fuerst (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fuerst mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a prince's house or castle. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fuerst (0.68 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Fuerst?
Want to know how many people have the last name Fuerst? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.