2000
#9,621
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Fuson
Derived from the Middle English word "fus," meaning eager or ready to go or act quickly.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,394 Americans carry the last name Fuson. That puts it at #10,344 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, 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
3.4K
1 in 100,988
Census rank
#10,344
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,960 bearers of the surname Fuson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10344th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fuson
The surname Fuson has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "fus," meaning "ready" or "eager," and was likely used as a nickname for someone of a spirited or eager disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fuson appears in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, where a certain Robert Fuson is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 12th century in the county of Lincolnshire.
In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, there is a reference to a John Fuson, indicating the spread of the name to other regions of England by the 13th century. The Fuson surname is also found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1301, further solidifying its presence across various parts of the country.
During the 16th century, the name Fuson was occasionally spelled variations such as Fewson, Fusson, or Fewsone, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling conventions of the time. These alternative spellings can be found in records like the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, East Yorkshire, where a William Fewson was christened in 1586.
Notable individuals bearing the Fuson surname throughout history include Sir John Fuson (1522-1587), a prominent merchant and alderman in the City of London, and Thomas Fuson (1631-1698), a Puritan minister who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Fuson (1670-1732), an English writer and poet who published several works under her maiden name, Elizabeth Singer. Her most famous work was "Poems on Several Occasions," published in 1705.
In the 18th century, the Fuson family established themselves in the village of Fawsley, Northamptonshire, where they owned a significant estate. One member of this branch, William Fuson (1745-1819), served as the High Sheriff of Northamptonshire in 1792.
As the name spread across England over the centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas through migration. Samuel Fuson (1768-1842), an early settler in Virginia, is recorded as one of the first bearers of the name in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuson
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 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.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
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 Fuson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 2,596
- Two or more races4.7% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.1% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 66
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuson
Fuson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,145
+44 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 629 places
2020
#10,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,960
-185 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,621 | 3,101 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,250 | 3,145 | 1.07 | +44 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 629 places |
| 2020 | #10,344 | 2,960 | 0.99 | -185 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 94 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fuson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,250 | #10,344 | -0.9% |
| Count | 3,145 | 2,960 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.99 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuson bearers went from 3,145 to 2,960 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,250 to #10,344.
FAQ
Fuson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,394 living Americans carry the surname Fuson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,988 residents.
How common is Fuson?
Fuson ranks #10,344 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,960 people with the surname Fuson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fuson.
Has Fuson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuson went from 3,145 recorded bearers to 2,960. That is a decrease of 185 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,250 to #10,344.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuson, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fuson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (2,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fuson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fuson mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "fus," meaning eager or ready to go or act quickly. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fuson (0.99 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Fuson?
See how many Americans have the surname Fuson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.