2000
#7,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Fulford
Derived from a place name meaning "dirty or muddy ford" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,519 Americans carry the last name Fulford. That puts it at #8,060 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,847 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulford 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fulford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,847
Census rank
#8,060
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,941 bearers of the surname Fulford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8060th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulford
The surname "Fulford" is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from a habitation name, referring to someone who lived in the area known as "Fulford" which was located near the city of York in Yorkshire, England. The name itself is composed of the Old English elements "ful" meaning "muddy" or "foul" and "ford" meaning a shallow place where a river or stream could be crossed.
The earliest recorded mention of the name "Fulford" can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Fuleforde" and "Fuleforth". This suggests that the name and the settlement it refers to were well-established by the time of the Norman conquest of England in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname "Fulford" was Sir William de Fulford, who lived during the 13th century and held lands in Fulford near York. His family is believed to have been descended from the original Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of the area.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Baldwin Fulford, who was a prominent English soldier and diplomat during the reign of King Henry VIII in the 16th century. He served as the Lieutenant of the Tower of London and was also involved in the siege of Boulogne during the war with France.
In the 17th century, Francis Fulford (1583-1664) was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Recorder of Exeter. He was also a member of the Long Parliament and supported the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War.
During the 18th century, George Fulford (1722-1786) was a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy and achieved the rank of Vice Admiral. He was involved in several notable battles during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
In more recent times, Christopher Fulford (1909-1988) was a British actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career, including roles in the popular series "Doctor Who" and "Upstairs, Downstairs".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulford
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulford 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 Fulford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.7% · 3,064
- Black or African American15.5% · 609
- Two or more races3.4% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulford
Fulford 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
#8,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,123
+17 bearers (+0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 548 places
2020
#8,060
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,941
-182 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,481 | 4,106 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,029 | 4,123 | 1.40 | +17 bearers (+0.4%) | Down 548 places |
| 2020 | #8,060 | 3,941 | 1.32 | -182 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 31 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 Fulford 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 | #8,029 | #8,060 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,123 | 3,941 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.40 | 1.32 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulford bearers went from 4,123 to 3,941 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,029 to #8,060.
FAQ
Fulford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulford?
Name Census estimates that about 4,519 living Americans carry the surname Fulford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,847 residents.
How common is Fulford?
Fulford ranks #8,060 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,941 people with the surname Fulford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Fulford.
Has Fulford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulford went from 4,123 recorded bearers to 3,941. That is a decrease of 182 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,029 to #8,060.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulford, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.7%. The next largest groups are Black (15.5%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Fulford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.7% (3,064 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.7%), Black (15.5%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Fulford (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 Fulford mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dirty or muddy ford" in Old English. 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 Fulford (1.32 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 Fulford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.