Find out how popular the last name Fuller is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fuller.

Fuller, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fuller surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fuller in America

Fuller is the 281st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fuller surname appeared 110,116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 37 people would have the surname Fuller.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fuller to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fuller

The surname FULLER originated in England and dates back to the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "fullere," meaning a person who worked as a fuller, responsible for cleaning and thickening woolen cloth through a process of beating and shrinking the fibers.

The name is found in various early records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists several individuals with the surname FULLER or its variations, such as Fulcher or Fulcharius, residing in different counties across England. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas le Fullere from Huntingdonshire in 1273.

During the Middle Ages, the FULLER surname was particularly prevalent in counties with thriving wool industries, such as Norfolk, Suffolk, and Somerset. The presence of fulling mills and the demand for skilled fullers contributed to the widespread use of this occupational surname.

Prominent individuals with the surname FULLER include Thomas FULLER (1608-1661), an English churchman and historian known for his work "The Worthies of England," which provided biographies of notable figures from various counties. Another notable figure was Nicholas FULLER (1557-1626), an English scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Hampton Court Conference, which led to the translation of the King James Bible.

In the realm of literature, Sarah FULLER (1808-1846) was an American novelist and pioneer of the Western fiction genre, known for her works depicting life on the frontier. Alfred Carlos FULLER (1885-1973) was an American author and playwright who received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1939 for his play "The Talleys."

The FULLER surname also has connections to military history, with John FULLER (1837-1909), an English military writer and historian who served in the British Army and wrote extensively on military strategy and tactics.

Over time, the FULLER surname has seen variations in spelling, including Fullere, Fullar, and Fullere, reflecting regional dialects and scribal practices. Additionally, the name has been associated with various place names, such as Fuller's Green in Buckinghamshire and Fuller's Hill in Somerset, indicating the presence of families or communities with this surname in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fuller

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fuller.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fuller was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fuller has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fuller was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fuller, please contact us.

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