2000
#5,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,777
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Funderburk
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tinder or kindling wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,346 Americans carry the last name Funderburk. That puts it at #5,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Funderburk 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
6.3K
1 in 54,011
Census rank
#5,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,534 bearers of the surname Funderburk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Funderburk, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Funderburk
The surname Funderburk is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the German words "funder" and "burg," which translates to "fire tower." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked in a fire tower or watchtower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Funderburk can be found in the town of Alsfeld, located in the state of Hesse, Germany. In the year 1537, a man named Hans Funderburk was listed in the town's records as a blacksmith. This indicates that the name was already in use during the 16th century and was likely well-established in the region.
As time passed, the Funderburk name spread to other parts of Germany and eventually made its way to other European countries. In the late 17th century, a family bearing the name Funderburk settled in the Netherlands, where they established themselves as successful merchants and traders.
One notable figure in the history of the Funderburk name was Johann Funderburk, a German philosopher and scholar who lived from 1672 to 1753. Johann was born in the town of Göttingen and is best known for his work on the concept of natural law and its relationship to morality and ethics.
In the 18th century, the Funderburk name began appearing in records in the United States, likely due to immigration from Germany and other parts of Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Peter Funderburk, who was born in 1745 in Pennsylvania and served as a soldier during the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable figure with the Funderburk surname was Albert Funderburk, an American author and historian who lived from 1879 to 1952. Albert was born in Tennessee and is best known for his extensive research and writings on the history of the Southern United States, particularly the Civil War era.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Funderburk name continued to spread across various parts of the United States, with families settling in states such as Texas, California, and Florida. While the name has undergone slight variations in spelling over time, its origins can be traced back to the German words "funder" and "burg," reflecting its connection to fire towers and watchtowers in the region's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Funderburk
Among Census respondents with the surname Funderburk, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Funderburk 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 Funderburk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.0% · 3,927
- Black or African American22.2% · 1,230
- Two or more races4.0% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 117
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Funderburk
Funderburk 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
#5,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,058
+281 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 195 places
2020
#5,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,534
-524 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 264 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,530 | 5,777 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,725 | 6,058 | 2.05 | +281 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 195 places |
| 2020 | #5,989 | 5,534 | 1.85 | -524 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 264 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 Funderburk 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 | #5,725 | #5,989 | -4.6% |
| Count | 6,058 | 5,534 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.85 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Funderburk bearers went from 6,058 to 5,534 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 264 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,725 to #5,989.
FAQ
Funderburk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Funderburk?
Name Census estimates that about 6,346 living Americans carry the surname Funderburk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,011 residents.
How common is Funderburk?
Funderburk ranks #5,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,534 people with the surname Funderburk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Funderburk.
Has Funderburk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Funderburk went from 6,058 recorded bearers to 5,534. That is a decrease of 524 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,725 to #5,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Funderburk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Funderburk, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.0%. The next largest groups are Black (22.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Funderburk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.0% (3,927 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Funderburk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.0%), Black (22.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Funderburk (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 Funderburk mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of tinder or kindling wood. 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 Funderburk (1.85 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 have the surname Funderburk?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.