2000
#256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106,682
First available Census row
Per 100,000 39.55
Common Last name
Fuller
An occupational surname referring to someone who fulls or walks on cloth to clean and thicken it.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 121,397 Americans carry the last name Fuller. That puts it at #293 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 35.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,823 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fuller 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 Fuller with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
121K
1 in 2,823
Census rank
#293
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
35.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105,864 bearers of the surname Fuller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 35.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 293rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fuller
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Fuller 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 Fuller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 74,913
- Black or African American20.3% · 21,534
- Two or more races4.2% · 4,446
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 3,573
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 804
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 594
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fuller
Fuller 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
#281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110,116
+3,434 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 37.33
Rank movement Down 25 places
2020
#293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105,864
-4,252 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 35.42
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #256 | 106,682 | 39.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #281 | 110,116 | 37.33 | +3,434 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 25 places |
| 2020 | #293 | 105,864 | 35.42 | -4,252 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 12 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 Fuller 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 | #281 | #293 | -4.3% |
| Count | 110,116 | 105,864 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 37.33 | 35.42 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fuller bearers went from 110,116 to 105,864 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #281 to #293.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fuller
FAQ
Fuller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fuller?
Name Census estimates that about 121,397 living Americans carry the surname Fuller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,823 residents.
How common is Fuller?
Fuller ranks #293 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 35.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 35 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105,864 people with the surname Fuller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (121,397), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 35.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 35.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 35 of them to have the surname Fuller.
Has Fuller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fuller went from 110,116 recorded bearers to 105,864. That is a decrease of 4,252 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #281 to #293.
What does the Census say about the background of Fuller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fuller, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (20.3%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Fuller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (74,913 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fuller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (20.3%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Fuller (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 Fuller mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who fulls or walks on cloth to clean and thicken it. 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 Fuller (35.42 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 Fuller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.