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

Fulmer, 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 Fulmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fulmer in America

Fulmer is the 3708th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fulmer surname appeared 9,570 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Fulmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fulmer 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 Fulmer

The surname Fulmer has its origins in England, likely emerging during the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is believed to be a locative name, derived from a place name referring to a location where the first bearers of the name resided.

One theory suggests that the name Fulmer is derived from the Old English words "ful" meaning "foul" or "muddy" and "mere" meaning "lake" or "pond." This could indicate that the name originated from a place near a muddy or stagnant body of water, possibly a settlement or village named Fulmer.

Another possibility is that the name is a variant of the place name Fulham, which is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Fuleham." This name is composed of the Old English elements "ful" meaning "foul" or "muddy" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village." If this is the case, the name Fulmer may have been an alternative spelling or pronunciation of Fulham used by people who migrated from that area.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Fulmer date back to the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, there is a mention of a person named Robertus de Fulmere. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also include a reference to a John Fulmere.

Notable individuals with the surname Fulmer throughout history include:

1. William Fulmer (c. 1570-1642), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1637 to 1642.

2. Samuel Fulmer (1689-1762), a German-American miller and farmer who established one of the earliest settlements in what is now Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

3. John Fulmer (1776-1857), an American farmer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the early 19th century.

4. Robert Fulmer (1781-1860), an American farmer and pioneer who settled in Ohio and helped establish the town of Fulmer's Ridge, now known as Fulmersville.

5. William Fulmer (1837-1909), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana from 1895 to 1897.

While the surname Fulmer may have evolved from various place names and geographic locations, it has maintained a distinct presence throughout the centuries, with bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields and regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fulmer

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

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 Fulmer 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 Fulmer 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 Fulmer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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