2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fulayter
A surname possibly denoting someone from the town of Foligno, Italy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fulayter. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulayter surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fulayter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulayter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulayter
The surname FULAYTER has its origins in the Middle East, specifically in the region of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the 12th or 13th century, deriving from an Arabic word that referred to a particular occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a collection of manuscripts from the city of Tripoli, located in present-day Lebanon. These documents, dating back to the late 13th century, mention a merchant by the name of Fulayter ibn Khalil, suggesting the name's association with the trading community.
As the name spread across the region, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some of these variants included Fulaytar, Fuleytar, and Fulayteri. These differences were often influenced by local dialects and the linguistic preferences of different scribes and record-keepers.
During the Ottoman Empire's rule over the region, the name FULAYTER appeared in various administrative records and tax registers. One notable figure from this period was Ibrahim Fulayter, a landowner and local official who lived in the late 16th century in the city of Sidon (present-day Saida, Lebanon).
The name also gained prominence in the realm of literature and scholarship. In the 18th century, a prominent scholar and poet from Damascus, Abdallah Fulayter, gained recognition for his contributions to Arabic literature and philosophy. His works were widely circulated and studied throughout the region.
As the centuries progressed, the name spread beyond the Middle East as members of the FULAYTER family migrated to other parts of the world. One such individual was Khalil Fulayter, a merchant from Beirut who settled in Marseille, France, in the early 19th century and established a successful trading business.
Another notable figure was Mariam Fulayter, a pioneering educator and women's rights activist who lived in late 19th-century Beirut. She founded one of the first schools for girls in the city and played a significant role in promoting female education in the region.
While the name FULAYTER has its roots in the Middle East, it has since been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and regions, each contributing to the rich tapestry of its historical and cultural significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulayter
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulayter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulayter bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fulayter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulayter
Fulayter appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-11 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,231 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 10,231 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fulayter surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #152,339 | -7.2% |
| Count | 117 | 106 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulayter bearers went from 117 to 106 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 10,231 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fulayter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulayter?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fulayter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fulayter?
Fulayter ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Fulayter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fulayter.
Has Fulayter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulayter went from 117 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulayter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulayter, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fulayter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulayter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Black (1.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fulayter (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fulayter mean?
A surname possibly denoting someone from the town of Foligno, Italy. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fulayter (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Fulayter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.