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

Fulghum, 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 Fulghum surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fulghum in America

Fulghum is the 14995th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fulghum surname appeared 1,970 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 Fulghum.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fulghum 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 Fulghum

The surname Fulghum is believed to have originated in England, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old English words "fulc" and "ham," meaning "people" and "homestead" or "village," respectively. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a village or settlement inhabited by a particular group of people.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fulghum can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1273, where it appears as "Folcham." This document, compiled during the reign of King Edward I, was a survey of landholdings and taxation records across various counties in England.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Folkham" and "Folcham," as evidenced by records from the Court of Common Pleas and the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire. These variations in spelling were common during that period, as standardized spellings had not yet been established.

Interestingly, the surname Fulghum shares similarities with the place name "Fulham," a district in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. While the exact connection between the surname and the place name is uncertain, it is possible that the name originated from a specific location or settlement in that area.

Among notable individuals with the surname Fulghum throughout history are:

1. Robert Fulghum (born 1937), an American author and minister best known for his book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten."
2. Osgood Fulghum (1805-1882), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas.
3. Mary Fulghum (1863-1925), an American educator and pioneer in the field of vocational education for African Americans in the Southern United States.
4. John Fulghum (1916-1998), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the 1940s.
5. John Fulghum (born 1934), an American actor and producer known for his work in films such as "The Fog" and "The Howling."

While the surname Fulghum may not be as widely recognized as some other surnames, its history and origins can be traced back to medieval England, with a rich tapestry of variations and notable individuals who have carried the name throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fulghum

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

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 Fulghum 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 Fulghum 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 Fulghum was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fulghum, 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!