Contents [hide]

Furman History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Furman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Ireland
Scotland

Early Origins of the Furman family

The surname Furman was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included some of the first listings of the family: Ricardus Forman; Johannes Forman; and Robertus Formain. All held estates there at that time. 1

However, another source notes that Alan Forman and Robert Fourman were both listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1327. 2

Due to Yorkshire's geographic proximity to Scotland, its very probable that records there would reveal more family records. In Scotland, the name is "perhaps from English Forman (13th century), older Formann, Latinized Formannus. Robert Foreman of Edinburghshire rendered homage, [to King Edward I of England] in 1296. Adam Forman was scutifer to Arnchibald, earl of Douglas, 1426. John Forman witnessed sealing of an inquest anent a fishing on the Tweed, 1467, and in 1474 payment was made to John Forman, Scottish merchant." 3

Early History of the Furman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furman research. Another 167 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1465, 1501, 1504, 1513, 1514, 1521, 1522, 1539, 1552, 1562, 1611, 1696, 1743 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Furman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furman Spelling Variations

Although the name, Furman, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Forman, Foreman, Formon, Fourman and others.

Early Notables of the Furman family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was Andrew Forman (c.1465-11 March 1522), a Scottish diplomat and prelate. He rose to become Archbishop of St. Andrews, and is said to have been one of the Formans of Hatton, near Berwick-on-Tweed. He also was Bishop of Moray in 1501, and Archbishop...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Furman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furman Ranking

In the United States, the name Furman is the 3,146^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Furman family to Ireland

Some of the Furman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furman migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Furman family name Furman, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Furman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Furman, who landed in Virginia in 1702 5
Gabriel Furman, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1719 5
Josiah Furman, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1719 5
Paul, Furman Sr., who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1741 5
Jacob Furman, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Furman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Furman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Frederick Furman U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 417 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 6
Mrs. Elizabeth Furman U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 501 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York 6

Furman Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Kaska Furman, who arrived in Manitoba in 1900
Katharina Furman, who landed in Manitoba in 1900

Contemporary Notables of the name Furman (post 1700) +

Lucy S. Furman (1870-1958), American author from Henderson, Kentucky, known for her short stories of Kentucky mountain life
Gabriel Furman (1756-1844), American politician
William Furman (1765-1852), American jurist, father of Gabriel Furman
Gabriel Furman (b. 1800), American lawyer, historian and politician
Richard Furman (1755-1825), American Baptist leader from Charleston, South Carolina, the 1st President of the Triennial Convention in 1814, eponym of Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina and the town of Furman,South Carolina
Ashrita Furman (b. 1954), born Keith Furman, American holder of 216 records in the Guinness Book of Records
Simon Christopher Francis Furman, British comic book writer, best known for his work on the Transformers franchise
Dean Furman (b. 1988), South African footballer for SuperSport United
Semyon Furman (1920-1978), Soviet chess Grandmaster
Jonathan Furman Leaming (1822-1907), American physician and politician

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X