2000
#14,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Fulghum
Derived from the Old English words "fugol" and "ham," denoting someone who lived at a bird house or bird sanctuary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,133 Americans carry the last name Fulghum. That puts it at #15,202 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulghum 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
2.1K
1 in 160,691
Census rank
#15,202
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,860 bearers of the surname Fulghum in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15202nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulghum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulghum
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulghum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulghum 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 Fulghum surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 1,655
- Black or African American5.3% · 99
- Two or more races2.6% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulghum
Fulghum 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
#14,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
+143 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 124 places
2020
#15,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,860
-110 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,871 | 1,827 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,995 | 1,970 | 0.67 | +143 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 124 places |
| 2020 | #15,202 | 1,860 | 0.62 | -110 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 207 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 Fulghum 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 | #14,995 | #15,202 | -1.4% |
| Count | 1,970 | 1,860 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.62 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulghum bearers went from 1,970 to 1,860 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 207 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,995 to #15,202.
FAQ
Fulghum surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulghum?
Name Census estimates that about 2,133 living Americans carry the surname Fulghum. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,691 residents.
How common is Fulghum?
Fulghum ranks #15,202 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,860 people with the surname Fulghum. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Fulghum.
Has Fulghum become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulghum went from 1,970 recorded bearers to 1,860. That is a decrease of 110 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,995 to #15,202.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulghum?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulghum, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fulghum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (1,655 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulghum appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Fulghum (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 Fulghum mean?
Derived from the Old English words "fugol" and "ham," denoting someone who lived at a bird house or bird sanctuary. 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 Fulghum (0.62 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 Fulghum?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.