NameCensus.

UK surname

Fulwood

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "full wood" or "fowl wood."

In the 1881 census there were 154 people recorded with the Fulwood surname, ranking it #15,259 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 125, ranked #26,827, down from #15,259 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Wolverhampton, Sawley and Eastwood. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Rotherham, Erewash and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Fulwood is 196 in 1901. Compared with 1881, the name has fallen by 18.8%.

1881 census count

154

Ranked #15,259

Modern count

125

2016, ranked #26,827

Peak year

1901

196 bearers

Map years

8

1861 to 2016

Key insights

  • Fulwood had 154 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #15,259 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016, ranked #26,827.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 196 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Small Town Suburbia.

Fulwood surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Fulwood surname density by area, 1881 census.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Fulwood 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 95 #17,707
1861 historical 152 #15,126
1881 historical 154 #15,259
1891 historical 181 #16,065
1901 historical 196 #15,329
1911 historical 145 #18,255
1997 modern 152 #20,948
1998 modern 153 #21,387
1999 modern 154 #21,455
2000 modern 146 #22,170
2001 modern 145 #21,951
2002 modern 147 #22,197
2003 modern 134 #23,260
2004 modern 133 #23,528
2005 modern 126 #24,287
2006 modern 116 #25,813
2007 modern 117 #26,066
2008 modern 112 #27,061
2009 modern 115 #27,207
2010 modern 127 #26,176
2011 modern 127 #25,926
2012 modern 128 #25,852
2013 modern 131 #25,932
2014 modern 132 #25,971
2015 modern 127 #26,494
2016 modern 125 #26,827

Geography

Back to top

Where Fulwoods are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Wolverhampton, Sawley, Eastwood, Ilkeston and Tickhill. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Rotherham, Erewash, Westminster and Swale. 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 Sawley Derbyshire
3 Eastwood Nottinghamshire
4 Ilkeston Nottinghamshire
5 Tickhill Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Rotherham 009 Rotherham
2 Erewash 015 Erewash
3 Westminster 023 Westminster
4 Erewash 008 Erewash
5 Swale 010 Swale

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Fulwood

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

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Fulwood

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Fulwood, 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 Fulwood surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Small Town Suburbia, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Fulwood 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

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

Inner London Working Professionals

Within London, Fulwood is most associated with areas classed as Inner London Working Professionals, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. 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

These primarily Inner London neighbourhoods are more densely populated than the Supergroup average. Residents have a younger over-all age profile than the Supergroup as a whole, and are less likely to be owner occupiers. Full time employment is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup and multiple car ownership is uncommon. Chinese and non-EU-born European migrants are less in evidence than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Fulwood is most concentrated in decile 8 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier 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.

8
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Fulwood falls in decile 3 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.

3
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Fulwood 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 Fulwood, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Fulwood

The surname FULWOOD is of English origin, specifically from the county of Lancashire in northwest England. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 13th or 14th century as a toponymic name, derived from a place name.

The name is thought to be composed of the Old English elements "ful" meaning "foul" or "muddy" and "wudu" meaning "wood." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a forested area or woodland with a swampy or marshy character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname FULWOOD can be found in the Lancashire Inquests, Extents, and Feudal Aids from 1310-1333, which mentions a Richard de Fulwode. The Furness Coucher Book from around 1412 also references a John Fulwode.

During the 16th century, the surname appears in various records with varying spellings such as Fulewood, Fulwode, and Fullwood, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography at the time. Among those bearing the name were John Fulwood, born around 1555, who was a translator of works from Latin and Greek.

In the 17th century, the FULWOOD surname can be found in parish records from Lancashire, such as the christening of Thomas Fulwood in Bolton in 1620. Notable individuals included William Fulwood, born in 1590, who was an English poet and playwright.

The 18th century saw the name spread beyond Lancashire, with records showing FULWOODs in other parts of England. One notable figure was Francis Fulwood, born in 1720, who was a renowned mathematician and astronomer.

As the centuries progressed, the surname continued to be found across England, with individuals such as Sir William Fulwood, born in 1810, who was a prominent politician and landowner in Yorkshire.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Fulwood families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Fulwood 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. Nottinghamshire leads with 40 Fulwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 19.89x.

County Total Index
Nottinghamshire 40 19.89x
Yorkshire 33 2.23x
Staffordshire 28 5.56x
Lancashire 13 0.73x
Shropshire 12 9.31x
Derbyshire 11 4.71x
Middlesex 5 0.34x
Warwickshire 5 1.33x
Lanarkshire 4 0.83x
Oxfordshire 1 1.09x
Worcestershire 1 0.51x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Eastwood in Nottinghamshire leads with 25 Fulwoods recorded in 1881 and an index of 1388.89x.

Place Total Index
Eastwood 25 1388.89x
Wolverhampton 15 38.73x
Kimberworth 12 146.16x
Newport 12 769.23x
Hemsworth 10 1176.47x
Ilkeston 8 122.14x
Shevington 8 987.65x
Harworth 7 2500.00x
Tickhill 6 638.30x
Wolstanton 6 39.22x
Bilston 5 51.23x
Barony 4 3.27x
Birmingham 4 3.19x
Bulwell 4 91.53x
Cannock 2 22.75x
Kensington London 2 2.41x
Nottingham St Mary 2 3.84x
St Luke London 2 8.35x
Warsop 2 377.36x
West Derby 2 3.86x
Aston 1 0.97x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 7.26x
Barnsley 1 6.56x
Blackwell 1 86.96x
Doncaster 1 9.26x
Dudley 1 4.22x
Enstone 1 178.57x
Islington London 1 0.69x
Normanton 1 22.52x
Notton 1 769.23x
Preston 1 2.11x
Salford 1 1.92x
Tibshelf 1 86.96x
Toxteth Park 1 1.67x
West Hallam 1 333.33x

Top female names

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

Name Count
John 6
William 6
Francis 4
George 4
Thomas 4
Albert 3
Benjamin 3
James 3
Moses 3
Charles 2
David 2
Eli 2
Henry 2
Samuel 2
Titus 2
Arthur 1
Ben 1
Chas. 1
Corneleus 1
Cornelius 1
Dan 1
Dan. 1
Daniel 1
Edward 1
Edwin 1
Elijah 1
Ernest 1
Frederick 1
Harry 1
Jessie 1
Kempson 1
Matthew 1
Richd. 1
Walter 1
Wm. 1
Wm.Ed. 1

FAQ

Fulwood surname: questions and answers

How common was the Fulwood surname in 1881?

In 1881, 154 people were recorded with the Fulwood surname. That placed it at #15,259 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Fulwood surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 125 in 2016. That gives Fulwood a modern rank of #26,827.

What does the Fulwood surname mean?

An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "full wood" or "fowl wood."

What does the Fulwood map show?

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