2000
#4,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,558
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.43
Rare Last name
Furlong
A surname derived from a medieval measurement of distance, equal to one-eighth of a mile.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,500 Americans carry the last name Furlong. That puts it at #5,167 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,701 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furlong 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Furlong with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.5K
1 in 45,701
Census rank
#5,167
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,540 bearers of the surname Furlong in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5167th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furlong, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Furlong
The surname Furlong is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "furlang," which referred to a furrow or a long strip of cultivated land. This word was commonly used to describe the length of a field or the distance a team of oxen could plow without resting.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Furlong can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1203, where a person named Robertus Furelong is mentioned. The name also appears in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which lists a John Furlong.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Furlong was particularly prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, suggesting that these areas might have been the original homelands of families bearing this name.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is no direct mention of the surname Furlong. However, there are several references to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as "Forlonga" in Gloucestershire.
One notable individual with the surname Furlong was Sir Thomas Furlong (c. 1590-1658), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 17th century. Another prominent bearer of this name was Sir John Furlong (c. 1625-1689), an English lawyer and politician who held the position of Recorder of London.
In Ireland, the surname Furlong is believed to have been introduced by English settlers during the Norman invasion of the 12th century. One famous Irish figure with this surname was Nicholas Furlong (c. 1686-1749), a Catholic priest and philosopher who played a significant role in the Irish philosophical movement known as the Irish Enlightenment.
Other historical figures with the surname Furlong include Robert Furlong (c. 1670-1724), an English clergyman and author, and William Furlong (1744-1808), an Irish-born British Army officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
While the surname Furlong has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through immigration and colonial expansion. However, the historical records and early references suggest that its origins can be traced back to the English countryside and the agricultural communities of the medieval era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furlong
Among Census respondents with the surname Furlong, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Furlong 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 Furlong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,957
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 317
- Two or more races2.8% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 42
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furlong
Furlong 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
#5,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,783
+225 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#5,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,540
-243 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,924 | 6,558 | 2.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,158 | 6,783 | 2.30 | +225 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #5,167 | 6,540 | 2.19 | -243 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 9 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 Furlong 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 | #5,158 | #5,167 | -0.2% |
| Count | 6,783 | 6,540 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.30 | 2.19 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furlong bearers went from 6,783 to 6,540 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,158 to #5,167.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Furlong
FAQ
Furlong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furlong?
Name Census estimates that about 7,500 living Americans carry the surname Furlong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,701 residents.
How common is Furlong?
Furlong ranks #5,167 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.19 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 6,540 people with the surname Furlong. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.19 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 Furlong.
Has Furlong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furlong went from 6,783 recorded bearers to 6,540. That is a decrease of 243 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,158 to #5,167.
What does the Census say about the background of Furlong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furlong, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Furlong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,957 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furlong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Furlong (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 Furlong mean?
A surname derived from a medieval measurement of distance, equal to one-eighth of a mile. 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 Furlong (2.19 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 Furlong?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Furlong, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.