NameCensus.

UK surname

Full

An English surname derived from the Old English word "ful" meaning dirty or unclean.

In the 1881 census there were 234 people recorded with the Full surname, ranking it #11,607 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 154, ranked #23,293, down from #11,607 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Devonport Stonehouse, East, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) and Totnes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Teignbridge, Leeds and Mid Devon.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Full is 356 in 1891. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 34.2%.

1881 census count

234

Ranked #11,607

Modern count

154

2016, ranked #23,293

Peak year

1891

356 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Full had 234 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #11,607 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 154 in 2016, ranked #23,293.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 356 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Full surname distribution map

The map shows where the Full surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Full surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Full over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 160 #12,347
1861 historical 265 #9,355
1881 historical 234 #11,607
1891 historical 356 #9,697
1901 historical 267 #12,587
1911 historical 325 #10,783
1997 modern 170 #19,505
1998 modern 170 #20,030
1999 modern 174 #19,870
2000 modern 191 #18,752
2001 modern 176 #19,415
2002 modern 171 #20,177
2003 modern 164 #20,483
2004 modern 168 #20,300
2005 modern 163 #20,627
2006 modern 163 #20,789
2007 modern 167 #20,719
2008 modern 166 #20,966
2009 modern 173 #20,869
2010 modern 166 #21,941
2011 modern 170 #21,407
2012 modern 154 #22,870
2013 modern 161 #22,521
2014 modern 168 #22,075
2015 modern 160 #22,701
2016 modern 154 #23,293

Geography

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Where Fulls are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Devonport Stonehouse, East, Exeter St David (including Castle Yard), Totnes, Ashburton and Dartington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Teignbridge, Leeds, Mid Devon and South Hams. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Devonport Stonehouse, East Devon
2 Exeter St David (including Castle Yard) Devon
3 Totnes Devon
4 Ashburton Devon
5 Dartington Devon

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Teignbridge 017 Teignbridge
2 Leeds 027 Leeds
3 Mid Devon 001 Mid Devon
4 Teignbridge 010 Teignbridge
5 South Hams 003 South Hams

Forenames

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First names often paired with Full

These lists show first names that appear often with the Full surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Full

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Full, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Full surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Full household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Full is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Full is most concentrated in decile 1 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the less healthy end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

1
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Full falls in decile 4 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname near the middle of the scale.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

4
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Full is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Full, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Full

The surname FULL is of English origin, deriving from the archaic word "fulle", which means "white" or "pure". It first emerged in the 12th century as a descriptive nickname for someone with fair hair or a pale complexion.

This surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex in eastern England. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195, where it appears as "Ricardus Full".

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of landowners in England, there are several entries for individuals named FULL, including Robert Full of Oxfordshire and Walter Full of Cambridgeshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England conducted in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname FULL. However, it does list several place names that may have contributed to the surname's development, such as Fulham (meaning "homestead where fowls were kept") and Fulford ("ford near a fowl meadow").

Notable individuals bearing the surname FULL include Sir William Full (1585-1666), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for West Looe in Cornwall. Another figure is Thomas Full (1608-1690), a Puritan minister and author who emigrated to America and served as the pastor of the Third Church in Boston.

In the realm of literature, one can find mentions of the surname FULL in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. In "The Canterbury Tales", written in the late 14th century, one of the characters is described as "a ful fair burgeys" (a very fair burgher).

Other historical figures with the surname FULL include John Full (1561-1628), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of St. Catharine's College, Cambridge, and Henry Full (1768-1851), a British naval officer who participated in several battles during the Napoleonic Wars.

The surname FULL has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Fullerton in Norfolk, Fullbrook in Oxfordshire, and Fullwood in Lancashire, further underscoring its deep-rooted English heritage.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Full families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Full surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Devon leads with 168 Fulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 35.21x.

County Total Index
Devon 168 35.21x
Middlesex 16 0.70x
Berkshire 9 5.23x
Surrey 7 0.63x
Cornwall 6 2.31x
Glamorgan 6 1.50x
Lancashire 6 0.22x
Hampshire 5 1.06x
Gloucestershire 4 0.89x
Kent 3 0.38x
Sussex 2 0.52x
Essex 1 0.22x
Northumberland 1 0.29x
Royal Navy 1 3.66x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Plymouth St Andrew in Devon leads with 24 Fulls recorded in 1881 and an index of 65.29x.

Place Total Index
Plymouth St Andrew 24 65.29x
Plymouth Charles The 16 76.12x
Dartington 13 2600.00x
Stoke Damerel 13 38.92x
Buckfastleigh 11 500.00x
Exeter St Sidwell 11 100.64x
Tormoham 11 54.48x
Dawlish 8 224.72x
Coffinswell 7 4666.67x
Stonehouse East 7 289.26x
West Shefford 7 1842.11x
Ashburton 6 263.16x
Penarth 6 153.85x
Tottenham 6 16.43x
Barrow In Furness 5 13.51x
Bishopsteignton 5 555.56x
Newton Abbot St Nicholas 5 510.20x
Pinhoe 5 1162.79x
Shoreditch London 4 4.03x
Bristol St Nicholas 3 370.37x
Clapham 3 10.47x
East Stonehouse 3 31.91x
Ermington 3 172.41x
Lanteglos By Fowey 3 283.02x
Newton Abbot St Mary 3 75.00x
Paul 3 63.56x
Portsea 3 3.26x
Rotherhithe 3 10.59x
West Teignmouth 3 82.19x
Wolborough 3 49.75x
Alverstoke 2 11.76x
Devonport 2 36.50x
East Shefford 2 2222.22x
Greenwich 2 5.48x
Kensington London 2 1.57x
Bigbury 1 285.71x
Camberwell 1 0.68x
Cirencester 1 16.42x
Exeter Heavitree 1 28.09x
Exeter St David 1 24.51x
Hastings St Andrew 1 72.46x
Hastings St Leonards 1 17.61x
Lee 1 8.80x
Liverpool 1 0.61x
Modbury 1 81.97x
North Shields 1 14.68x
Paddington London 1 1.19x
Pennycross 1 250.00x
Royal Navy 1 4.28x
St George Hanover Square 1 2.48x
St George In East London 1 4.64x
St Pancras London 1 0.54x
Sydenham Damerel 1 270.27x
Totnes 1 35.84x
West Ham 1 1.00x
Widdecombeinthe Moor 1 156.25x
Woodland 1 833.33x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Full surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 20
Elizabeth 8
Sarah 8
Jane 6
Eliza 5
Ann 4
Annie 4
Emily 4
Grace 4
Alice 3
Catherine 3
Ellen 3
Margaret 3
Adelaide 2
Bessie 2
Caroline 2
Emma 2
Jessie 2
Martha 2
Matilda 2
Rose 2
Ada 1
Anne 1
Clara 1
E. 1
Edith 1
Elizth. 1
Eva 1
Fanny 1
Frances 1
Francis 1
Georgina 1
Hannah 1
Irena 1
Julia 1
Lilian 1
Louisa 1
Louise 1
Lucy 1
Lydia 1
Melinda 1
Minnie 1
Nancy 1
Phebe 1
Rebecca 1
Rhoda 1
Susan 1
Susanna 1
Therzah 1
Thurza 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Full surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 20
John 19
George 9
Frederick 7
Joseph 7
Henry 6
James 5
Samuel 5
Thomas 5
Charles 3
Robert 3
Andrew 2
Arthur 2
Harry 2
Richard 2
Albert 1
Alfred 1
Charley 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Edwin 1
Eli 1
Ernest 1
F.H. 1
Infant 1
Joshua 1
Lewis 1
Mary 1
T.W. 1
Walter 1
Wm.H. 1

FAQ

Full surname: questions and answers

How common was the Full surname in 1881?

In 1881, 234 people were recorded with the Full surname. That placed it at #11,607 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Full surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 154 in 2016. That gives Full a modern rank of #23,293.

What does the Full surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "ful" meaning dirty or unclean.

What does the Full map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Full bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.