2000
#5,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Fulkerson
An English occupational surname referring to a person who breeds and trains falcons for hunting.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,838 Americans carry the last name Fulkerson. That puts it at #5,618 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,125 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulkerson 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
6.8K
1 in 50,125
Census rank
#5,618
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,963 bearers of the surname Fulkerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5618th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulkerson
The surname Fulkerson originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, likely before the 11th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "folc" meaning people and "hyrde" meaning herdsman or shepherd, suggesting that the name's earliest bearers were employed as shepherds or herdsmen.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as Folcherdeson. This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property ownership in England.
By the 13th century, the surname had evolved to various spellings such as Folkerson, Folkerton, and Fulkerton. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions during that time period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Sir Thomas Folkerton, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was awarded land in Yorkshire for his bravery and service.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Fulkerson, born in 1548 in Lincolnshire, England. He was a prominent scholar and theologian who served as the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, from 1589 to 1594.
In the 17th century, the surname underwent further changes in spelling, leading to the modern form Fulkerson. One individual of note from this period was Richard Fulkerson, born in 1632 in Suffolk, England. He was a merchant and one of the early settlers in the American colonies, arriving in Virginia in 1654.
During the 18th century, the Fulkerson family continued to establish roots in the American colonies. William Fulkerson, born in 1701 in Pennsylvania, was a farmer and landowner who played a role in the early development of the region.
In the 19th century, Jacob Fulkerson, born in 1812 in Ohio, gained recognition as a skilled carpenter and builder. He was responsible for constructing several notable structures in the Midwestern United States, including churches and courthouses.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulkerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulkerson 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 Fulkerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 5,480
- Two or more races3.5% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 32
- Black or African American0.5% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulkerson
Fulkerson 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
#5,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,391
+270 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#5,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,963
-428 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,238 | 6,121 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,444 | 6,391 | 2.17 | +270 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #5,618 | 5,963 | 1.99 | -428 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 174 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 Fulkerson 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 | #5,444 | #5,618 | -3.2% |
| Count | 6,391 | 5,963 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.17 | 1.99 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulkerson bearers went from 6,391 to 5,963 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,444 to #5,618.
FAQ
Fulkerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulkerson?
Name Census estimates that about 6,838 living Americans carry the surname Fulkerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,125 residents.
How common is Fulkerson?
Fulkerson ranks #5,618 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,963 people with the surname Fulkerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,838), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fulkerson.
Has Fulkerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulkerson went from 6,391 recorded bearers to 5,963. That is a decrease of 428 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,444 to #5,618.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulkerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulkerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fulkerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (5,480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulkerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Fulkerson (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 Fulkerson mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who breeds and trains falcons for hunting. 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 Fulkerson (1.99 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 common is the surname Fulkerson?
Want to know how many people have the last name Fulkerson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.