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

Furst, 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 Furst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Furst in America

Furst is the 12333rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Furst surname appeared 2,521 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 Furst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Furst 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 Furst

The surname Furst has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Fürst," which means "prince" or "ruler." The name was initially adopted by those who held a position of authority or were associated with a noble family.

In the Middle Ages, the name Furst was prevalent in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. It was often found in official records, such as tax rolls and land deeds, reflecting its association with the nobility and affluent landowners.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Furst can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Principality of Anhalt, dating back to 1285. The document mentions a nobleman named Henricus Furst, who was involved in a land dispute.

Another notable historical reference is the Furst family of Nuremberg, a prominent merchant dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries. Hans Furst (1460-1525) was a renowned merchant and banker who contributed significantly to the city's economic prosperity.

In the 17th century, Johann Furst (1594-1668) was a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on religious topics. His works, such as "Summa Theologiae Sacrae," were widely read and influential during the Protestant Reformation.

Georg Friedrich Furst (1766-1849) was a German philologist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of classical languages. He served as a professor at the University of Leipzig and published numerous works on Greek and Latin literature.

Moving into the 19th century, Carl Furst (1819-1892) was a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Furst Brewery in Berlin. His company played a significant role in the development of the brewing industry in Germany.

In the realm of literature, Walter Furst (1892-1960) was a German-born American author and playwright. He is best known for his novels "The Emigrant" and "The Unvanquished," which explored themes of displacement and cultural identity.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Furst throughout history, highlighting its longstanding presence and significance in various fields and regions of Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Furst

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!