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

Furr, 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 Furr surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furr in America

Furr is the 4304th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furr surname appeared 8,260 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Furr.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furr 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 Furr

The surname "FURR" is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "forhа," which means "fir tree." The name is believed to have originated in the 12th century, referring to someone who lived near a fir forest or worked with fir trees.

In the 13th century, the surname was recorded as "Vurre" in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Westphalia, Germany. The earliest known bearer of the name was Heinrich Vurre, a landowner mentioned in a document dated 1287.

The name "FURR" can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as Furrbach and Furrweiler, which likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time. In the 16th century, the name appeared as "Furr" in the parish records of the town of Marburg, in the state of Hesse.

One notable bearer of the surname was Johannes Furr, a German theologian and reformer born in 1495 in Wittenberg. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.

In England, the name "FURR" is recorded as early as the 16th century, likely introduced by German immigrants. One of the earliest documented examples is William Furr, a merchant from London, who was mentioned in the Court of Chancery records in 1568.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Furr (1609-1673), an English politician and member of Parliament for Derbyshire. He was known for his support of the Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War.

In the United States, the name "FURR" can be traced back to the 18th century. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Johann Furr, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in 1754.

William Furr (1788-1853) was an American farmer and politician from Virginia, who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in the early 19th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was Benjamin Furr (1834-1909), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furr

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

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

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

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