Furse
An English surname derived from the Old English word "fyrs" meaning furze or gorse bushes.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 514 Americans carry the last name Furse. That puts it at #47,706 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 666,837 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furse surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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.
Bearers in the US
514
1 in 666,837
Census rank
#47,706
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
444
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 444 bearers of the surname Furse in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 47706th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furse, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furse
Among Census respondents with the surname Furse, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Furse bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Furse surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0%
- Black or African American19.1%
- Hispanic or Latino3.1%
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6%
- Unknown or suppressed1.1%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Furse surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #40,019 | #47,706 | -19.2% |
| Count | 516 | 444 | -14.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.15 | -21.1% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Furse bearers went from 516 to 444 (-14.0% change). The surname moved down 7,687 positions in the national ranking, going from #40,019 to #47,706.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Furse
FAQ
Furse surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Furse?
The surname Furse holds position #47,706 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 514 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Furse surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furse, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.