Show ContentsFurnish History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Furnish is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from a family once having lived in the district named Furness on the South coast of Cumberland. Eraly records show the name in Lancashire too. The place name is thought to have Old Norse origins which was usually assigned as a name for a peninsula.

Early Origins of the Furnish family

The surname Furnish was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Furnish family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Furnish research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1658, 1687, 1700, 1701, 1708, 1712 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Furnish History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Furnish Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Furnish has been recorded under many different variations, including Furness, Furniss, Furnesse, Furnes, Furnesed, Furnace, Furnice, Furnas and many more.

Early Notables of the Furnish family

Another 49 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Furnish Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Furnish family

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Furnish or a variant listed above: Henry Furnace who settled in Philadelphia in 1683 with his wife Katherine and five children; Amy Furness settled in Annapolis Maryland in 1719; Katherine Furnice settled in Pennsylvania in 1772.


Contemporary Notables of the name Furnish (post 1700) +

  • David James Furnish (b. 1962), Canadian filmmaker, former advertising executive, husband of Sir Elton John


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