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

Furness, 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 Furness surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furness in America

Furness is the 13764th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furness surname appeared 2,198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Furness.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furness 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 Furness

The surname Furness originates from the region of Furness in the English county of Cumbria. It dates back to the 13th century, derived from the Old Norse words 'fjor' meaning a lake or firth, and 'nes' meaning a promontory or headland. The area of Furness was known for its rich iron ore deposits and prosperous iron industry, which likely contributed to the surname's origins.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Furness can be found in the Register of the Priory of St. Bees in Cumbria, dating back to the year 1285. This document mentions a person named Richard de Furnesio, who was likely from the Furness region.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records related to the Furness Abbey, a former monastery located in the Furness region. For instance, a 1327 document mentions a monk named Thomas de Furnesio, while another record from 1348 refers to a William de Furneys.

The Furness surname has been associated with notable historical figures, such as Sir John Furness (1537-1592), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who served as Lord Mayor of York in 1588. Another prominent individual was Sir Christopher Furness (1624-1683), a Member of Parliament and Vice-Admiral of Lancashire during the English Civil War.

In the 19th century, the Furness family played a significant role in the industrial and shipping industries. Sir Christopher Furness (1809-1912) was a prominent industrialist and shipbuilder from West Hartlepool, England, who founded the famous Furness Shipbuilding Company. His son, Sir Stephen Furness (1835-1914), was a successful shipowner and Member of Parliament.

Another notable figure was Sir Walter Furness (1870-1954), a British businessman and shipowner from the Furness family. He served as the chairman of the Furness Withy & Co. shipping company and was a prominent philanthropist, supporting various educational and cultural institutions in his lifetime.

While the Furness surname originated in the English county of Cumbria, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and settlement patterns over the centuries. The name has a rich historical significance, particularly in the areas of industry, shipping, and commerce, where many individuals bearing this surname have made notable contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furness

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

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

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

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