2000
#6,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,602
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Fulk
Derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "people" or "tribe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,893 Americans carry the last name Fulk. That puts it at #7,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,050 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulk 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
4.9K
1 in 70,050
Census rank
#7,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,267 bearers of the surname Fulk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulk
The surname Fulk has its origins in medieval England, dating back to the Norman conquest of 1066. It is derived from the Old French personal name Fulc, itself a Germanic name meaning "people" or "nation."
The earliest known record of the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Fulch." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Fulke, Foulke, and the modern Fulk. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling conventions in medieval times.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Sir William Fulk, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was born around 1320 and died in 1380.
Another prominent individual was John Fulk, a 16th-century English politician and Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. He was born in 1532 and died in 1603.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in the form of Foulke, as seen in the case of Thomas Foulke, a Quaker settler in Pennsylvania. He was born in Wales in 1619 and emigrated to America in 1682.
The 18th century saw the birth of Robert Fulk, an English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Middlesex Hospital. He was born in 1717 and died in 1786.
In the 19th century, the name Fulk was associated with the poet and playwright Fulk Greville, born in 1554 and died in 1628. He was a prominent figure in the court of Queen Elizabeth I and is remembered for his works such as "Mustapha" and "Caelica."
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the surname Fulk throughout history, reflecting its long-standing presence in various parts of England and its enduring legacy as a distinctly English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulk
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulk 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 Fulk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,964
- Two or more races3.7% · 158
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 67
- Black or African American0.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulk
Fulk 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
#7,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,785
+183 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.62
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#7,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,267
-518 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,750 | 4,602 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,001 | 4,785 | 1.62 | +183 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #7,521 | 4,267 | 1.43 | -518 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 520 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 Fulk 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 | #7,001 | #7,521 | -7.4% |
| Count | 4,785 | 4,267 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.62 | 1.43 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulk bearers went from 4,785 to 4,267 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,001 to #7,521.
FAQ
Fulk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulk?
Name Census estimates that about 4,893 living Americans carry the surname Fulk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,050 residents.
How common is Fulk?
Fulk ranks #7,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,267 people with the surname Fulk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,893), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Fulk.
Has Fulk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulk went from 4,785 recorded bearers to 4,267. That is a decrease of 518 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,001 to #7,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulk, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Fulk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,964 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Fulk (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 Fulk mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "people" or "tribe." 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 Fulk (1.43 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 Americans have the surname Fulk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.