Explore the Family Name Fulton
The meaning of Fulton
1. Scottish: habitational name from Fulton in Bedrule, Roxburghshire, Scotland, so named from Old English fugol ‘bird’ + tūn ‘enclosure, settlement’. Compare Folden 2. 2. English: variant of Folden 3.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Fulton in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Fulton saw a slight decrease between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked as the 1,017th most popular surname in the U.S., but by 2010, it had dropped to the 1,083rd position, making for a decline of 6.49%. Despite this drop in rank, the actual count of individuals carrying the Fulton name increased by 2.36%, from 31,513 in 2000 to 32,258 in 2010. The proportion per 100,000 people also decreased slightly, from 11.68 in 2000 to 10.94 in 2010, which indicates a -6.34% change.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,017 | #1,083 | -6.49% |
| Count | 31,513 | 32,258 | 2.36% |
| Proportion per 100k | 11.68 | 10.94 | -6.34% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fulton
The ethnicity associated with the surname Fulton underwent some changes between 2000 and 2010, according to Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage identifying as White decreased by about 4%, from 74.06% in 2000 to 71.16% in 2010. Meanwhile, those identifying as Black or African American saw a slight increase of 5.71%, from 21.56% in 2000 to 22.79% in 2010. The percentage identifying as Hispanic rose from 1.55% to 2.34% during this period, an increase of 50.97%. There was also a notable increase in those identifying as two or more races, which went up by 55.63%, from 1.42% in 2000 to 2.21% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw minor increases of 15.22% and 1.05% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 74.06% | 71.16% | -3.92% |
| Black | 21.56% | 22.79% | 5.71% |
| Hispanic | 1.55% | 2.34% | 50.97% |
| Two or More Races | 1.42% | 2.21% | 55.63% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.95% | 0.96% | 1.05% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.53% | 15.22% |
Fulton 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 Fulton is British & Irish, which comprises 53.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (23.0%) and Eastern European (4.2%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 53.4% |
| French & German | 23.0% |
| Eastern European | 4.2% |
| Other | 19.4% |
Possible origins of the surname Fulton
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 Fulton have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.50% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 82.40% |
What Fulton 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 Fulton is R-FGC11908, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-FGC11908 is descended from haplogroup R-M420. Other common haplogroups include R-M417 and R-P311, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Mccaskill, Mcintosh, Macdonald, Fielder, Rainey, Shanks, Mcdonald, Mcdaniel, Mcconnell, Perkins.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Fulton surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M420Your 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.
What do people with the surname Fulton 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
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Fulton" Surname 39.0%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Fulton" Surname 30.7%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Fulton" Surname 25.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Fulton" Surname 20.2%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Fulton?
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 Fulton are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition