Find out how popular the last name Fulgham is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fulgham.

Fulgham, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fulgham surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fulgham in America

Fulgham is the 12339th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fulgham surname appeared 2,520 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fulgham.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fulgham to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fulgham

The surname Fulgham is believed to have originated in England, with its earliest known bearers hailing from various regions across the country. The name is thought to derive from an Old English place name, possibly "Fulg's ham" or a similar construction, indicating a homestead or village belonging to someone named Fulg.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Fulgaham." This entry suggests that the name, or a variation thereof, was already in use during the 11th century in certain parts of England.

In later centuries, the name took on various spellings, such as Fulgham, Fulghame, and Fulgam, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional variations common to surnames during that period.

Among the notable individuals bearing the Fulgham surname, one can mention William Fulgham (c. 1535-1597), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Stow during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Another prominent figure was John Fulgham (1680-1744), a wealthy landowner and merchant from the county of Somerset, whose estate and business dealings left a lasting impact on the local economy of the region.

In the 19th century, Thomas Fulgham (1807-1872) made his mark as a respected educator and headmaster at several prestigious schools in London, contributing significantly to the field of education during the Victorian era.

Across the Atlantic, one cannot overlook the legacy of Sarah Fulgham (1835-1919), a pioneering suffragette and activist for women's rights, who played a pivotal role in the early feminist movement in the United States.

Lastly, the name Fulgham gained further prominence with the achievements of James Fulgham (1916-2001), a decorated World War II veteran and successful businessman, who later became a prominent philanthropist, supporting various charitable causes in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

While the origin and evolution of the Fulgham surname may be traced back to England, its bearers have left their mark across different parts of the world, contributing to various fields and shaping the course of history in their own unique ways.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fulgham

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fulgham.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fulgham was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fulgham has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fulgham was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fulgham, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!