Furnari last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Furnari

An Italian surname referring to bakers or oven workers.

Furnari, 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 Furnari surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furnari in America

Furnari is the 25202nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furnari surname appeared 983 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 Furnari.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furnari 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 25202 23657 6.32%
Count 983 999 -1.61%
Proportion per 100k 0.33 0.37 -11.43%

The history of the last name Furnari

The surname Furnari originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Sicily. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "furnarius," which means "baker" or "one who works with an oven." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who were involved in the baking trade or related professions.

Furnari is considered a locative surname, meaning it was initially derived from a place name. It is thought to have originated from the town of Furnari, located in the province of Messina, Sicily. The town's name itself is believed to have been derived from the Latin word "furnarius," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the baking profession.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Furnari dates back to the 12th century. In a document from 1186, a certain Bernardo Furnari is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Furnari. This suggests that the surname was already well-established in the area by that time.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Furnari. One example is Ludovico Furnari (c. 1450-1520), a Sicilian painter and sculptor who was active during the Renaissance period. His works can be found in various churches and museums in Sicily.

Another prominent figure with the surname Furnari was Matteo Furnari (1570-1638), a Sicilian architect and engineer. He is best known for his work on the reconstruction of the city of Noto, which was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1693.

In the 18th century, Francesco Furnari (1718-1784) was a notable Sicilian scholar and historian. He authored several works on the history and culture of Sicily, including a comprehensive dictionary of Sicilian dialects.

Moving forward, Giuseppe Furnari (1839-1904) was an Italian politician and jurist who served as a member of the Italian Senate and was instrumental in the development of the Italian legal system.

Lastly, Vito Furnari (1907-1988) was a Sicilian-American mobster who rose to prominence in the New York City crime family known as the Gambino crime family. While his involvement in criminal activities is well-documented, he is also considered an influential figure in the history of organized crime in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furnari

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

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 Furnari was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.90% 923
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.51% 5
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.02% 10
Hispanic Origin 3.97% 39

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.90% 94.99% -1.15%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.51% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.50% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.02% 0.90% 12.50%
Hispanic 3.97% 2.90% 31.15%

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

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

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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!

"Furnari last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/furnari-surname-popularity/.

"Furnari last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/furnari-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

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

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