2000
#9,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,991
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Fulbright
An English occupational surname referring to a person who polishes or restores armor and weapons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,283 Americans carry the last name Fulbright. That puts it at #10,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,403 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulbright 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
3.3K
1 in 104,403
Census rank
#10,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,863 bearers of the surname Fulbright in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulbright, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulbright
The surname Fulbright has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "full" meaning "complete" or "entire," and "bryhte" meaning "bright" or "shining." This combination suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone with a bright complexion or a sunny disposition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1195, which mention a William Fulbright. The surname also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279, where a John Fulbright is listed as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the name was found in various forms, such as Fulbryght, Fulbright, and Fulbrigh, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time period. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a Thomas Fulbryght, while the Poll Tax returns of Yorkshire from 1379 include a John Fulbrigh.
The name Fulbright has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir John Fulbright, a member of Parliament who represented the borough of Grimsby in the late 15th century. In the 17th century, Edward Fulbright was a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire, who served as High Sheriff of the county in 1642.
During the English Civil War, Thomas Fulbright was a captain in the Parliamentarian army and fought in several battles, including the decisive Battle of Naseby in 1645. In the 18th century, William Fulbright was a respected scholar and theologian who served as the Dean of Exeter Cathedral from 1772 until his death in 1785.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Fulbright name was James William Fulbright, an American politician and senator who was born in 1905 and died in 1995. He is best known for establishing the prestigious Fulbright Program, an international educational exchange program that has enabled millions of students and scholars to study and conduct research abroad.
The Fulbright surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Fulbright Hill in Gloucestershire and Fulbright's Meadow in Oxfordshire, further attesting to its long-standing presence in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulbright
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulbright, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulbright 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 Fulbright surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.9% · 2,201
- Black or African American13.8% · 395
- Two or more races4.8% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulbright
Fulbright appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,056
+65 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 546 places
2020
#10,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,863
-193 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,953 | 2,991 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,499 | 3,056 | 1.04 | +65 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 546 places |
| 2020 | #10,656 | 2,863 | 0.96 | -193 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 157 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 Fulbright 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 | #10,499 | #10,656 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,056 | 2,863 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.96 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulbright bearers went from 3,056 to 2,863 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,499 to #10,656.
FAQ
Fulbright surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulbright?
Name Census estimates that about 3,283 living Americans carry the surname Fulbright. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,403 residents.
How common is Fulbright?
Fulbright ranks #10,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,863 people with the surname Fulbright. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,283), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fulbright.
Has Fulbright become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulbright went from 3,056 recorded bearers to 2,863. That is a decrease of 193 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,499 to #10,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulbright?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulbright, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.9%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fulbright in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.9% (2,201 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulbright appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.9%), Black (13.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fulbright (2000, 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 Fulbright mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who polishes or restores armor and weapons. 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 Fulbright (0.96 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 common is the surname Fulbright?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Fulbright on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.