2000
#13,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.80
Rare Last name
Fullen
Derived from a place name meaning "bird hill" or referring to someone living near a foul-smelling hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,394 Americans carry the last name Fullen. That puts it at #13,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 143,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fullen 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fullen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 143,172
Census rank
#13,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,088 bearers of the surname Fullen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fullen
The surname Fullen is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be a variant of the surname Fullarton, which is derived from the Old English words "fullere" meaning a walker of cloth and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement. This suggests that the name may have been occupational in origin, referring to someone who worked as a fuller or cloth walker in a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fullen can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from the year 1195, where a person named Robert Fullen is mentioned. This indicates that the name was already established in England by the late 12th century.
The surname Fullen is also believed to have connections to various place names across England, such as Fullenham in Norfolk and Fullerton in Staffordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
In the 13th century, a person named William Fullen is recorded as being a witness to a land grant in the county of Oxfordshire. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in different regions of England during the medieval period.
One notable individual with the surname Fullen was John Fullen, a Benedictine monk who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is known for his writings on religious subjects and his involvement in the monastic community at Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk.
Another individual worth mentioning is Thomas Fullen, who was born in the late 16th century and served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of King Charles I. He represented the borough of Saltash in Cornwall and was a prominent figure in local politics.
In the 17th century, a man named Robert Fullen gained recognition as a skilled architect and builder. He was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in London, including St. Mary's Church in Islington.
During the 18th century, a woman named Elizabeth Fullen made a name for herself as a renowned artist and portraitist. Her paintings were highly regarded, and she received commissions from wealthy patrons across England.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a writer and historian named William Fullen published several works on the history of England and its notable figures. His books were well-received and contributed to the understanding of the country's rich past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fullen
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fullen 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 Fullen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 1,651
- Black or African American10.9% · 228
- Two or more races4.9% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fullen
Fullen 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
#12,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,445
+288 bearers (+13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 379 places
2020
#13,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,088
-357 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 1,211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,031 | 2,157 | 0.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,652 | 2,445 | 0.83 | +288 bearers (+13.4%) | Up 379 places |
| 2020 | #13,863 | 2,088 | 0.70 | -357 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 1,211 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 Fullen 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 | #12,652 | #13,863 | -9.6% |
| Count | 2,445 | 2,088 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.70 | -15.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fullen bearers went from 2,445 to 2,088 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 1,211 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,652 to #13,863.
FAQ
Fullen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fullen?
Name Census estimates that about 2,394 living Americans carry the surname Fullen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 143,172 residents.
How common is Fullen?
Fullen ranks #13,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,088 people with the surname Fullen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,394), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Fullen.
Has Fullen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fullen went from 2,445 recorded bearers to 2,088. That is a decrease of 357 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,652 to #13,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Fullen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullen, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Fullen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (1,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fullen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Black (10.9%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Fullen (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 Fullen mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "bird hill" or referring to someone living near a foul-smelling hill. 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 Fullen (0.70 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 Fullen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.