Funmaker last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Funmaker

A surname used to refer to someone who was a jester, comic, or entertainer.

Funmaker, 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 Funmaker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Funmaker in America

Funmaker is the 83834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Funmaker surname appeared 224 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Funmaker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Funmaker 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 83834 93841 -11.26%
Count 224 181 21.23%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.07 13.33%

The history of the last name Funmaker

The surname "FUNMAKER" is of English origin, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the Middle English word "funmaker," which referred to a person who made or performed amusing skits, songs, or plays for entertainment.

In medieval England, funmakers were often employed by wealthy households or traveled from town to town, providing comic relief and entertainment for the masses. The name likely arose as a descriptive occupational surname for individuals who took on this profession.

Early records show variations in spelling, such as "Funmaker," "Funmakere," and "Funmakyr." One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1487, where a man named Thomas Funmaker is mentioned as a resident of the village of Evesham.

During the Tudor period, the name gained some prominence when a certain John Funmaker (c. 1520-1585) became a well-known court jester and entertainer in the court of King Henry VIII. His antics and witty performances reportedly amused the king and his courtiers on numerous occasions.

Another notable individual with this surname was William Funmaker (1628-1701), a traveling minstrel and storyteller from Yorkshire. His lively performances and comic tales were popular in taverns and inns across the county.

In the 18th century, the Funmaker family had established roots in the city of Bristol, where a Richard Funmaker (1705-1779) worked as a theatrical producer and organized comedic plays and performances for the city's residents.

A more recent historical figure was Samuel Funmaker (1842-1910), a renowned comedian and vaudeville performer from London. He toured extensively throughout England and Scotland, delighting audiences with his comedic routines and humorous sketches.

Over the centuries, the surname "FUNMAKER" has maintained its connection to the world of entertainment and comedy, reflecting the occupations and talents of its bearers in bringing joy and laughter to others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Funmaker

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

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 Funmaker was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 4.02% 9
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 83.04% 186
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 10.27% 23
Hispanic Origin 2.23% 5

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 Funmaker has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 4.02% 5.52% -31.45%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 83.04% 85.08% -2.43%
Two or More Races 10.27% 7.18% 35.42%
Hispanic 2.23% (S)% (S)%

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 Funmaker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Funmaker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/funmaker-surname-popularity/.

"Funmaker last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/funmaker-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

Funmaker last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/funmaker-surname-popularity/.

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