NameCensus.

UK surname

Fullwood

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a dense forest or wooded area.

In the 1881 census there were 509 people recorded with the Fullwood surname, ranking it #6,690 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 996, ranked #5,817, up from #6,690 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Sedgley and Dudley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Amber Valley, North East Derbyshire and Wolverhampton.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fullwood is 1,090 in 2000. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 95.7%.

1881 census count

509

Ranked #6,690

Modern count

996

2016, ranked #5,817

Peak year

2000

1,090 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fullwood had 509 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,690 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 996 in 2016, ranked #5,817.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 816 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Fullwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fullwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Fullwood 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 257 #8,596
1861 historical 292 #8,626
1881 historical 509 #6,690
1891 historical 532 #7,053
1901 historical 655 #6,599
1911 historical 816 #5,395
1997 modern 986 #5,564
1998 modern 1,074 #5,364
1999 modern 1,079 #5,364
2000 modern 1,090 #5,306
2001 modern 1,072 #5,280
2002 modern 1,049 #5,470
2003 modern 1,022 #5,500
2004 modern 1,031 #5,475
2005 modern 1,006 #5,521
2006 modern 981 #5,641
2007 modern 977 #5,713
2008 modern 987 #5,710
2009 modern 1,034 #5,621
2010 modern 1,044 #5,673
2011 modern 1,046 #5,603
2012 modern 1,016 #5,672
2013 modern 1,028 #5,704
2014 modern 1,032 #5,710
2015 modern 1,006 #5,780
2016 modern 996 #5,817

Geography

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Where Fullwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Sedgley, Dudley, London parishes and Birmingham Town: Birmingham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Amber Valley, North East Derbyshire and Wolverhampton. 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 Wolverhampton Staffordshire
2 Sedgley Staffordshire
3 Dudley Staffordshire
4 London parishes London 3
5 Birmingham Town: Birmingham Warwickshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Amber Valley 004 Amber Valley
2 North East Derbyshire 012 North East Derbyshire
3 Wolverhampton 008 Wolverhampton
4 Wolverhampton 018 Wolverhampton
5 North East Derbyshire 009 North East Derbyshire

Forenames

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First names often paired with Fullwood

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Fullwood

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fullwood, 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

Retired Professionals

Group

Small Town Suburbia

Nationally, the Fullwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Fullwood 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 is predominantly comprised of married couples with no resident dependent children, living in areas characterised neither by under-occupancy nor overcrowding throughout the UK in or adjacent to small towns. White ethnic groups and affiliation with Christianity predominates. Housing tends to be predominantly semi-detached or detached and workers are employed principally in managerial and professional occupations, with semi-skilled occupations also in evidence. These areas of the Supergroup are of higher population density.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Fullwood is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. 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

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fullwood is most concentrated in decile 7 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

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

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fullwood falls in decile 2 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

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

2
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fullwood is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

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

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

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

Meaning and origin of Fullwood

The surname Fullwood has its origins in England, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from a combination of the Old English words "full" and "wudu," meaning "full" and "wood," respectively. This likely referred to someone who lived in a dense or full wood or forest.

The earliest recorded instances of the Fullwood surname can be found in historical documents dating back to the 13th century. One notable reference is in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which mentions a Robert de Fulwode. This suggests that the name was well-established in certain regions of England by that time.

The Fullwood name appears in several medieval manuscripts and records, indicating its presence in various parts of the country. For instance, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 list a John de Fulwode, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a William Fulwode.

Over the centuries, the name has seen various spellings, such as Fulwode, Fullwode, and Fulwood, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations. Some of these older spellings were likely influenced by the names of places where families bearing the surname resided, such as the village of Fulwood in Lancashire or Fullwood in Yorkshire.

Notable individuals who bore the Fullwood surname include John Fullwood (c. 1555-1612), an English playwright and poet during the Elizabethan era. Another prominent figure was Sir Francis Fullwood (1604-1693), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of North Wales.

In the 18th century, Reverend Samuel Fullwood (1718-1794) was an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Soul's Portraiture Drawn in Christ's Excellent Sermon on the Mount" published in 1765. William Fullwood (1792-1871), on the other hand, was a prominent English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Liverpool and Manchester during the Victorian era.

Another notable figure was Edmund Fullwood (1809-1883), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and was awarded the Crimea Medal for his service. His contemporaries included Henry Fullwood (1810-1891), an English landscape painter who exhibited his works at the Royal Academy and other prestigious institutions of the time.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Fullwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fullwood 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. Staffordshire leads with 210 Fullwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 12.53x.

County Total Index
Staffordshire 210 12.53x
Warwickshire 64 5.11x
Worcestershire 37 5.71x
Yorkshire 37 0.75x
Derbyshire 34 4.37x
Lancashire 28 0.48x
Surrey 28 1.16x
Nottinghamshire 21 3.14x
Middlesex 19 0.38x
Kent 11 0.65x
Cornwall 7 1.25x
Monmouthshire 5 1.39x
Sussex 5 0.60x
Cheshire 1 0.09x
Oxfordshire 1 0.33x
Shropshire 1 0.23x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Wolverhampton in Staffordshire leads with 59 Fullwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.78x.

Place Total Index
Wolverhampton 59 45.78x
Sedgley 51 81.93x
Dudley 32 40.59x
Aston 28 8.12x
Bilston 26 80.05x
West Bromwich 26 27.10x
Tickhill 17 541.40x
Toxteth Park 17 8.52x
Birmingham 15 3.59x
Kingswinford 15 24.65x
Walsall Foreign 13 15.02x
Chesterfield 12 41.18x
Annesley 9 357.14x
Camberwell 8 2.52x
Islington London 8 1.66x
Wandsworth 8 16.74x
Wednesbury 8 19.10x
Edgbaston 7 18.03x
Greasbrough 7 107.69x
Heanor 7 60.19x
Mylor 7 185.68x
Wootton Wawen 7 177.67x
Audley 6 36.19x
Bermondsey 6 4.06x
Chelsea London 6 4.01x
Deptford St Paul 6 4.59x
Warrington 6 8.59x
Abergavenny 5 37.20x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 5 10.91x
Bawtry 5 322.58x
Darlaston 5 21.59x
Ilkeston 5 22.95x
Newark Upon Trent 5 20.79x
Pinxton 5 126.58x
Broughton In Salford 4 7.43x
Oldbury 4 12.54x
Warwick St Mary 4 36.80x
Hove 3 8.17x
Lambeth 3 0.69x
Leamington Priors 3 9.74x
Scarcliff 3 285.71x
Whittington 3 27.88x
Deptford St Nicholas 2 14.88x
Eastwood 2 33.44x
Friern Barnet 2 18.28x
Hastings Holy Trinity 2 32.41x
Margate St John Baptist 2 6.45x
Middlesbrough 2 3.12x
Ripley 2 20.81x
Southwark St George Martyr 2 2.00x
Banbury 1 16.29x
Brampton 1 9.20x
Brampton Bierlow 1 15.87x
Chiswick 1 3.69x
Chorlton On Medlock 1 1.07x
Croydon 1 0.74x
Harborne 1 1.86x
Kings Norton 1 1.72x
Monks Coppenhall 1 2.42x
Newport 1 19.31x
Ramsgate 1 3.62x
St Pancras London 1 0.25x
Staveley 1 7.25x
Westminster St John 1 1.65x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
John 26
William 23
Joseph 22
Thomas 20
James 17
George 14
Frederick 9
Henry 8
Samuel 8
Benjamin 6
Edward 6
Isaac 6
Richard 6
Albert 5
Alfred 5
Charles 5
Robert 5
Daniel 4
Edwin 4
Fred 3
Herbert 3
Stephen 3
Arthur 2
Harold 2
Harry 2
Luke 2
Saml. 2
Walter 2
Benjn. 1
Bill 1
Clarence 1
Cornelius 1
Cyril 1
David 1
Earnest 1
Ernest 1
Ezekiel 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Howard 1
Jacob 1
Joshua 1
Josiah 1
Norman 1
Olanzo 1
Ralph 1
Reginald 1
Robt. 1
Simeon 1
Wm.Hy. 1

FAQ

Fullwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fullwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 509 people were recorded with the Fullwood surname. That placed it at #6,690 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fullwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 996 in 2016. That gives Fullwood a modern rank of #5,817.

What does the Fullwood surname mean?

An English locational surname referring to someone who lived near a dense forest or wooded area.

What does the Fullwood map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Fullwood 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.