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

Furbee, 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 Furbee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furbee in America

Furbee is the 30202nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furbee surname appeared 776 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 Furbee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furbee 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 Furbee

The surname FURBEE is believed to have originated in the medieval German regions that now make up parts of modern-day Germany and France. It likely derives from the Old German word "furben" or "furben," meaning "to dye" or "to color." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a dyer or colorer of fabrics or textiles.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain "Heinricus Furbee" is mentioned in a charter dated 1312. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 14th century.

In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Nuremberg, a major center of trade and commerce in the Holy Roman Empire. A certain "Hans Furbee," a merchant and guild member, is recorded in the city's archives in 1472.

As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling began to emerge, such as "Furbe," "Fürbe," and "Fürbee." These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling that were common in medieval times.

One notable bearer of the name was Johann Furbee (1540-1612), a German Protestant theologian and scholar who was a professor at the University of Wittenberg and a prominent figure in the Reformation movement.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals named FURBEE in France, the Netherlands, and even as far as England. One example is William Furbee (1625-1692), an English merchant and landowner from Lincolnshire.

As the name continued to disperse across Europe, it also began to take on new spellings and variants, such as "Furby" and "Ferby," which were likely influenced by regional dialects and linguistic shifts over time.

Another noteworthy individual with this surname was Heinrich Furbee (1782-1856), a German-born artist and engraver who worked in England and is known for his highly detailed depictions of architectural subjects.

Throughout its history, the surname FURBEE has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, scholars, artists, and tradespeople, reflecting the diverse paths that families and individuals have taken over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furbee

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!