How to develop a sense of humor and be funny?

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Something that I have learned about myself is that my sense of humor, my jokes, and my pranks are are outright horrible. I enjoy being social, and I have friends that I do things with and I talk with. However, I feel that my ability to develop a true, "deep" friendship, or romantic relationship is severely hampered by my lack of humor. I would say my communication skills when it doesn't come to small talk are above average. People say that I'm one of the nicest, friendliest and most helpful people they have met, and in a professional or academic setting, people appreciate that I'm always serious and honest.

General small talk is something I've gotten better at, but when people tell jokes or do something funny I always laugh, but I very very rarely have a comeback or other funny stuff to say or do. Sitting there with friends or girls who you enjoy being with but have no idea how to make laugh, while desperately wanting it, is a horrible feeling. Too often, when I make an attempt at being funny, there is nobody who laughs.

Everyone says that humor and the ability to make one laugh is very important when looking for friends or partners. My lacking skills in these areas are sources of slight sadness in my life. I feel I'll forever be the kind of guy who's well liked by the bosses and teachers, but not by co-workers and classmates. Is there anything I could do? (apart from looking for people who have equally bad humor or don't care about mine, but that's easier said than done).