This website is dedicated to the study of the surname
Furmedge and its variants. The study is registered with the Guild of One-Name Studies.
Background
I first came across the Furmedge surname whilst tracing my Stebbings ancestors in Norfolk & Suffolk, England. In 1870, Susan Stebbings (my 1st cousin 4x removed) married James John Furmedge at Twickenham in Middlesex, England. Whilst I thought at the time that Furmedge seemed quite an unusual surname and worth further investigation, since Susan was not a direct ancestor, I put it on a ‘back-burner’. This one-name study has come about now as a desire to learn more about the Furmedge name, its geographical distribution, and its origins.
Name Origins
Furmedge is thought to be of Norman origin. It derives from Old French “Pourmage” and is an occupational name for “a maker or seller of cheese”.
Furmedge is considered to be a surname found primarily in England however over time it has spread to other regions of the world including Australia, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, USA and Wales.
Name variations potentially include: Furmidge, Furmeage, Furmage, Furmadge, Furmige, Firmage, Furminge, Furmiger, Formedge, Firmidge, Virmedge, Formedi, Vurmedi, Fuhrmesi, Formeza, Formidi.
Currently variants Furmidge and Furmage are registered as part of this study. As the study progresses, other variants will also be included.
Study Data
This study was started in 2024. The initial focus has been on completing data collection and family reconstruction for each of the registered surnames in England and Wales for the period 1837 to 1921. This is now relatively complete but introduced two additional surname spellings, Furmadge and Firmage. The surname Furmadge for the period 1837 to 1921 is largely a misspelling of one of the surnames already assessed. In contrast, whilst there is some overlap with families using both the Furmage and Firmage spellings, there are also some Firmage families with no overlap, and these require further research and reconstruction.
Click on the “What’s New” link to see what data has most recently been uploaded and more details of my future plans.
No living person will be identified in any of the trees – only people over a hundred years old or who are deceased will be included. In general, once a woman marries and loses the Furmedge (or variant) name, I will no longer trace her descendants. Similarly, there will only be limited information for those women who marry into the Furmedge (or variant) name.
If you have ancestors covered by this study and have any photos or stories to share, requests for information or corrections, please get in touch.
If you have any questions or comments about the information on this site, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
