2000
#8,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,402
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Fulks
Derived from a nickname for someone with a plump, round face or body, from Old English "fūlǣc," meaning "plump."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,860 Americans carry the last name Fulks. That puts it at #9,277 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,796 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fulks 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
3.9K
1 in 88,796
Census rank
#9,277
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,366 bearers of the surname Fulks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9277th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulks, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fulks
The surname Fulks is of English origin and derives from the Old French personal name Fulk or Fulke, which itself derives from the Germanic name Fulko. This name is composed of the elements folk, meaning "people" and anger, meaning "spear".
The name can be traced back to the 11th century in England, where it was introduced after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The earliest recorded instances of the name in England include Fulk de Lusors, who is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Fulk d'Anjou, who was a prominent Norman noble and the Count of Anjou in the 12th century.
Over time, the name has undergone various spelling variations, including Fulks, Foulkes, Foulks, and Fowkes. These variations are often associated with different regions of England, with Fulks being more common in the southern counties and Foulkes more prevalent in the north.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir William Fulke (1538-1589), an English Puritan and scholar who served as the Master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, and wrote extensively against Catholic doctrine.
Geoffrey Fulke (1723-1788) was an English clergyman and antiquarian, known for his work on the history and antiquities of Gloucestershire.
In the realm of literature, Robert Fulk (1765-1813) was an English poet and writer who published several volumes of poetry and prose.
Another notable figure was John Fulke (1594-1666), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucester during the English Civil War.
Lastly, Benjamin Fulkes (1787-1849) was an English engraver and illustrator, known for his work on various publications, including topographical works and natural history books.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fulks
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulks, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fulks 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 Fulks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 2,499
- Black or African American18.0% · 606
- Two or more races3.9% · 131
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fulks
Fulks 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
#9,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,531
+129 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 368 places
2020
#9,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,366
-165 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 53 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,856 | 3,402 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,224 | 3,531 | 1.20 | +129 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 368 places |
| 2020 | #9,277 | 3,366 | 1.13 | -165 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 53 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 Fulks 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 | #9,224 | #9,277 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,531 | 3,366 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.13 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fulks bearers went from 3,531 to 3,366 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 53 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,224 to #9,277.
FAQ
Fulks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fulks?
Name Census estimates that about 3,860 living Americans carry the surname Fulks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,796 residents.
How common is Fulks?
Fulks ranks #9,277 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,366 people with the surname Fulks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,860), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Fulks.
Has Fulks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fulks went from 3,531 recorded bearers to 3,366. That is a decrease of 165 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,224 to #9,277.
What does the Census say about the background of Fulks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fulks, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (18.0%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fulks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (2,499 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fulks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Black (18.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Fulks (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 Fulks mean?
Derived from a nickname for someone with a plump, round face or body, from Old English "fūlǣc," meaning "plump." 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 Fulks (1.13 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 have the last name Fulks?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Fulks on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.