2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Furgurson
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Ferguson, derived from a nickname meaning "son of the angry man".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Furgurson. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furgurson 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Furgurson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furgurson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Furgurson
The surname FURGURSON is believed to have originated in Scotland, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the name Ferguson, derived from the Gaelic words "fear" meaning "man" and "guth" meaning "stranger or wanderer."
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the Clan Ferguson, a Scottish clan with roots in Ayrshire and the Western Isles. The Fergusons were known as a powerful and influential clan, with several notable members throughout history.
In the 16th century, a FURGURSON family is recorded as residing in the village of Kilwinning, Ayrshire. It is possible that the variant spelling arose due to regional dialects or scribal errors in the recording of names during that time.
The name FURGURSON appears in various historical documents from the 17th and 18th centuries, including parish records and court proceedings. One notable individual was John FURGURSON (1620-1688), a Scottish merchant and landowner who played a role in the Glasgow tobacco trade.
In the 19th century, the name spread beyond Scotland as members of the FURGURSON family emigrated to other parts of the British Isles and abroad. William FURGURSON (1788-1857), a Scottish-born farmer, was among the early settlers in Upper Canada (now Ontario, Canada).
Another prominent figure was Robert FURGURSON (1835-1919), a Scottish-American industrialist who founded the FURGURSON Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His success in the steel industry contributed to the growth of the city during the Industrial Revolution.
As the name FURGURSON continued to be used, it also appeared in different spellings, such as Fergurson and Furgerson, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and documentation across regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furgurson
Among Census respondents with the surname Furgurson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Furgurson 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 Furgurson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.4% · 86
- Black or African American12.1% · 13
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furgurson
Furgurson appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Furgurson 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furgurson bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Furgurson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furgurson?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Furgurson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Furgurson?
Furgurson ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Furgurson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Furgurson.
Has Furgurson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furgurson went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Furgurson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furgurson, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.4%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Furgurson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.4% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furgurson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.4%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Furgurson (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 Furgurson mean?
A variant spelling of the Scottish surname Ferguson, derived from a nickname meaning "son of the angry man". 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 Furgurson (0.04 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 common is the surname Furgurson?
Find out how common the surname Furgurson is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.