Explore the Family Name Fulford

The meaning of Fulford

English: 1. habitational name from one or more of the numerous places so named in Devon, such as Fulford in Tiverton, Great Fulford in Dunsford, Fullaford in High Bray, Fulford Bridge in Shebbear, Fullaford in Sampford Courtenay, and Fullaford in Buckfastleigh. 2. habitational name from one or more of the various places so called elsewhere in England, such as Fulford (Staffordshire), Fulford in Kingston Saint Mary (Somerset), Gate Fulford and Water Fulford (both East Yorkshire), Fulfords Farm in Itchingfield (Sussex), and Fulforth in Witton Gilbert (Durham). All places in 1 above and 2 are named from Old English fūl ‘dirty, muddy’ + ford ‘ford’. History: A family of this name (see 1 above) can be traced to William de Fulford, who held the manor of Great Fulford in Dunsford during the reign of Richard I (1189–99). The family still resides here today.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fulford in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Fulford showed a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was the 7481st most popular surname, but by 2010, it had fallen to 8029th place, representing a change of -7.33 percent. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals carrying the Fulford surname rose slightly from 4106 in 2000 to 4123 in 2010, an increase of 0.41 percent. The proportion of Fulfords per 100,000 people also dipped slightly from 1.52 in 2000 to 1.4 in 2010, marking a decrease of -7.89 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#7,481#8,029-7.33%
Count4,1064,1230.41%
Proportion per 100k1.521.4-7.89%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fulford

The ethnicity composition of those with the Fulford surname also saw some shifts between 2000 and 2010, as indicated by the Decennial U.S. Census. The percentage of Fulford individuals identifying as White decreased by -1.64 percent, while the Black ethnic identity experienced a modest increase of 5.03 percent. The Hispanic and American Indian and Alaskan Native identities both saw significant growth, with increases of 47.01 and 51.72 percent respectively. On the other hand, the Asian/Pacific Islander category saw a small decrease of -8.11 percent, and the group identifying with two or more races remained stable at 1.24 percent.

20002010Change
White83%81.64%-1.64%
Black13.93%14.63%5.03%
Hispanic1.17%1.72%47.01%
Two or More Races1.24%1.24%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.29%0.44%51.72%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.37%0.34%-8.11%

Fulford ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Fulford is British & Irish, which comprises 63.7% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (17.2%) and Scandinavian (2.9%). Additional ancestries include Nigerian, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, and Eastern European.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish63.7%
French & German17.2%
Scandinavian2.9%
Other16.2%
Fulford

Possible origins of the surname Fulford

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Fulford have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom92.20%
Merseyside, United Kingdom92.20%
Lancashire, United Kingdom92.20%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom92.20%
Greater London, United Kingdom92.20%

What Fulford haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Fulford is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fulford surname are: H1, U2_3_4_7_8_9, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

fulfordPaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Fulford have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Fulford

Vanilla Ice Cream

Prefers vanilla flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Fulford" Surname 43.8%

23andMe Users 36.7%

Traits

Fulford

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Fulford" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Fulford

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Fulford" Surname 33.3%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Fulford

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Fulford" Surname 19.0%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Fulford?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Fulford are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%