2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Furkin
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold forks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Furkin. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furkin 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Furkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Furkin
The surname Furkin has its origins in Germany, with records of the name dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "furken," which means "to dig or furrow." This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations related to digging or farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Furkin can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, Germany. In this collection, there is a mention of a person named "Conradus Furkin" in a document dated 1187.
During the 13th century, the name Furkin appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. It is possible that the name was associated with specific localities or place names, but the exact origins of these connections remain unclear.
In the 14th century, the Furkin surname gained more prominence, and several notable individuals bearing the name emerged. One such person was Johannes Furkin, a scholar and theologian who lived from 1320 to 1385. He was known for his writings on religious topics and served as a professor at the University of Prague.
Another notable figure was Hans Furkin, a merchant and trader who lived in Nuremberg, Germany, during the 15th century. He was involved in the lucrative spice trade and helped establish trade routes between Europe and the Middle East.
In the 16th century, the Furkin surname continued to be present in various parts of Germany. One notable individual was Christoph Furkin, a Lutheran pastor and reformer who lived from 1525 to 1593. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was known for his sermons and writings on religious matters.
During the 17th century, the surname Furkin spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and England. One notable individual from this period was Pieter Furkin, a Dutch painter who lived from 1616 to 1692. He was known for his landscapes and genre paintings, which captured the daily life of the Dutch people.
In the 18th century, the Furkin surname gained prominence in England, where it was sometimes spelled as "Furkin" or "Furkin." One notable individual from this period was William Furkin, an English playwright and poet who lived from 1728 to 1795. He was known for his satirical works and plays that commented on social and political issues of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Furkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Furkin 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 Furkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furkin
Furkin 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+17 bearers (+16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,188 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.8%) | Up 8,188 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 13,042 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 Furkin 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 | #141,140 | #154,182 | -9.2% |
| Count | 118 | 103 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furkin bearers went from 118 to 103 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 13,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #154,182.
FAQ
Furkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furkin?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Furkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Furkin?
Furkin ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Furkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Furkin.
Has Furkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furkin went from 118 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Furkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Furkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Furkin (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 Furkin mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or sold forks. 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 Furkin (0.03 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 are called Furkin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Furkin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.