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

Furse, 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 Furse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furse in America

Furse is the 47706th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furse surname appeared 444 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 Furse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furse 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 Furse

The surname Furse originated in England and is of medieval English origin. The name is derived from the Old English words "fyrst" or "furst," meaning a wooded hill or forest. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name likely resided near or on a prominent wooded hill or in a forested area.

Furse is believed to have first emerged as a surname in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Dorset in the southwest of England during the late 12th or early 13th century. Early variations of the spelling included Furst, Furshill, Forshill, and Forsehill, reflecting the regional dialects of the time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Feet of Fines for Somerset, dated 1268, which mentions a John Furst. The Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327 also list a Walter Furs, indicating the name's presence in the region during the medieval period.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in the parish records of Taunton, Somerset, with the baptism of John Furse in 1546. Another early record is the marriage of Richard Furse and Johane Horte in the parish of Whitchurch Canonicorum, Dorset, in 1572.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Furse include Sir Henry Furse (1629-1712), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament for Plymouth in the late 17th century. John Furse (1788-1858) was an English painter and engraver known for his landscape and marine paintings.

Ralph Furse (1887-1973) was a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of British Somaliland from 1943 to 1949. His son, Sir Roger Furse (1920-2001), was a distinguished British diplomat and ambassador to several countries, including Japan and West Germany.

Another notable figure was Dame Katharine Furse (1875-1952), a pioneering British nurse and philanthropist who served as the first Director of the World's Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) from 1920 to 1935.

While the surname Furse is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times, with its origins deeply rooted in the English countryside and the early development of surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furse

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

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

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

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