2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fullford
Derived from Old English "ful" meaning muddy or unclean and "ford", suggesting the name's origins near a muddy river crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Fullford. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fullford 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 Fullford with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Fullford in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Black (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fullford
The surname Fullford has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. The name is thought to derive from a place name, likely a combination of Old English words referring to a ford or river crossing and a distinguishing feature such as its size or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a landowner named Fulcherus de Fulford in the county of Devon. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 11th century.
During the 13th century, records mention a Sir William de Fulford, who was a prominent knight and landowner in Yorkshire. His descendants continued to hold significant estates in the area for several centuries, with the name appearing in various spellings such as Fulford, Fulforde, and Fullford.
In the 15th century, a notable figure was John Fullford, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as Lord Mayor in 1445 and was known for his philanthropic endeavors, founding a school and making donations to charitable causes.
The name Fullford has also been associated with several notable clergymen throughout history. One example is Thomas Fullford, who was born in 1617 and served as the Archdeacon of Totnes in Devon during the late 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the poet and playwright John Fullford (1640-1698) was a contemporary of John Dryden and a member of the literary circle known as the Scriblerians. His works included satires and translations of classical texts.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir Henry Fullford (1768-1842), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Admiral. He was notably involved in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Throughout its history, the Fullford name has been linked to various locations in England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Yorkshire, and London, where members of the family held lands and positions of influence over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fullford
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Black (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fullford 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 Fullford surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fullford
Fullford appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Fullford 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fullford bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Fullford surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fullford?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Fullford. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Fullford?
Fullford ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Fullford. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fullford.
Has Fullford become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fullford went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Fullford?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fullford, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Black (3.6%). 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 Fullford in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fullford appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (6.4%), Black (3.6%). 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 Fullford (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 Fullford mean?
Derived from Old English "ful" meaning muddy or unclean and "ford", suggesting the name's origins near a muddy river crossing. 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 Fullford (0.04 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 surname Fullford?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.