2000
#11,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,432
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Furst
A German and Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Fürst," meaning "prince" or "sovereign ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,670 Americans carry the last name Furst. That puts it at #12,668 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,372 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Furst 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
2.7K
1 in 128,372
Census rank
#12,668
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,328 bearers of the surname Furst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12668th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Furst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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of the earliest recorded instances of the name Furst can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Principality of Anhalt, dating back to 1285.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Another notable historical reference is the Furst family of Nuremberg, a prominent merchant dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Furst
Among Census respondents with the surname Furst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Furst 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 Furst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 2,186
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 58
- Two or more races2.1% · 48
- Black or African American0.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Furst
Furst 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
#12,333
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,521
+89 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#12,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,328
-193 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,795 | 2,432 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,333 | 2,521 | 0.85 | +89 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #12,668 | 2,328 | 0.78 | -193 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 335 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 Furst 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 | #12,333 | #12,668 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,521 | 2,328 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.78 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Furst bearers went from 2,521 to 2,328 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 335 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,333 to #12,668.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Furst
FAQ
Furst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Furst?
Name Census estimates that about 2,670 living Americans carry the surname Furst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,372 residents.
How common is Furst?
Furst ranks #12,668 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,328 people with the surname Furst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,670), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Furst.
Has Furst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Furst went from 2,521 recorded bearers to 2,328. That is a decrease of 193 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,333 to #12,668.
What does the Census say about the background of Furst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Furst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Furst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (2,186 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Furst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Furst (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 Furst mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname derived from the German word "Fürst," meaning "prince" or "sovereign ruler." 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 Furst (0.78 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 many people have the surname Furst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.