2000
#13,702
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,030
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Funches
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a finch, likely referring to a lively or cheerful person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,506 Americans carry the last name Funches. That puts it at #13,343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funches 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
2.5K
1 in 136,773
Census rank
#13,343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,185 bearers of the surname Funches in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funches, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funches
The surname FUNCHES is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "funce," which means "spark" or "fiery," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone with a fiery personality or perhaps someone who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a baker.
The earliest recorded instance of the FUNCHES surname dates back to the late 13th century in the county of Yorkshire, where a William Funches is mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1297. The name also appears in various other historical records from that time period, including the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, which mention a John Funches in 1279.
During the 14th century, the FUNCHES name began to spread to other parts of England, including the counties of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. In the village of Funches, located in Lincolnshire, there are records of a family bearing the surname dating back to the late 1300s.
One notable early bearer of the FUNCHES name was Sir William Funches, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-14th century. Sir William was renowned for his bravery and skill in battle, and he was granted lands in the county of Essex as a reward for his service.
In the 15th century, the FUNCHES surname began to appear in various medieval manuscripts and records, including the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence between members of the Paston family in Norfolk. One of the letters, dated 1472, mentions a Richard Funches, who was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership.
Another notable figure with the FUNCHES surname was John Funches, a wealthy merchant who lived in London during the reign of King Henry VIII in the early 16th century. John Funches was a prominent member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers, one of the city's most influential trade guilds.
Over the centuries, the FUNCHES surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Funches, Funchis, Funcheys, and Funchy. While the name is predominantly English in origin, it has also been found in other parts of the British Isles, such as Ireland and Scotland, likely due to migration and intermarriage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funches
Among Census respondents with the surname Funches, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Funches 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 Funches surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.5% · 1,912
- Two or more races5.3% · 116
- White3.5% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funches
Funches 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
#13,531
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,242
+212 bearers (+10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Up 171 places
2020
#13,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
-57 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,702 | 2,030 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,531 | 2,242 | 0.76 | +212 bearers (+10.4%) | Up 171 places |
| 2020 | #13,343 | 2,185 | 0.73 | -57 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 188 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 Funches 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 | #13,531 | #13,343 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,242 | 2,185 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.73 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funches bearers went from 2,242 to 2,185 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 188 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,531 to #13,343.
FAQ
Funches surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funches?
Name Census estimates that about 2,506 living Americans carry the surname Funches. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,773 residents.
How common is Funches?
Funches ranks #13,343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,185 people with the surname Funches. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Funches.
Has Funches become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funches went from 2,242 recorded bearers to 2,185. That is a decrease of 57 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,531 to #13,343.
What does the Census say about the background of Funches?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funches, the largest self-reported group is Black at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and White (3.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Funches in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (1,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funches appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (87.5%), Two or More Races (5.3%), White (3.5%). 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 Funches (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 Funches mean?
Derived from a Middle English nickname for a finch, likely referring to a lively or cheerful person. 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 Funches (0.73 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 share the surname Funches?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.