# Furness (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/furness/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 2,198 |
| US rank (2010) | 13,764 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 140,467 people |
| Change since 2000 | +28% (1,712 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Furnas |

## Etymology

* The placename is of Old Norse origin; the second element is nes (“headland”). The first has been variously explained as: ** the obsolete futh (“rump”) + nes (“headland”), possibly referring to Piel Island. ** derived from Old English fodor (“fodder”) ** McClure suggested a derivation from Old Irish foithir (“wood; slope”) * The surname is from the above place. * As an English surname of Norman origin, variant of Furneaux, Furnace. * As a Norwegian surname, old variant of Furnes, from several farmstead names derived from Old Norse fura (“pine”) + nes (“headland”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Furness in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 92% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 2.9% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.4% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.7% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Furness in the United States and Australia.

## People named Furness

- Deborra-Lee Furness, Australian actress
- Caroline Furness, American astronomer (1869 – 1936)
- Betty Furness, American actress, consumer advocate and current affairs commentator (1916-1994)

## Similar surnames

Fornes, Frances, Furnish, Franklin, Francis, Franco, Frank, French, Franks, Francisco, François, Farnsworth.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.