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Show ContentsFuller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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Fuller is a name that was formed by the Anglo-Saxon society of old Britain. The name was thought to have been used for someone who once worked as a person who worked as a fuller. 1 During medieval times the work of the fuller was to wash yardage, by scouring and thickening the cloth for the purpose of pre-shrinking. The fuller would do this by beating and trampling the raw cloth while it was soaking in the water.

Early Origins of the Fuller family

The surname Fuller was first found in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire, where Roger Fuler was listed there in 1219. As an occupational name, widespread listings in various counties and shires are to be expected. From this first listing, we found Reginald fullere in Suffolk in 1221, William le Fulur in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221 and Simon le Voller in Oxfordshire in 1316. The author notes that the name was chiefly found in "southern and eastern England and that the French form 'fuller' occurs in the whole of England." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Gilbert le Fuller in Hertfordshire and Ambrose le Fullur in Shropshire. 3

Years later and much further to the north in Scotland, Andrew Fullo was a tenant in Mikilbrekauch, and John Fullo was a tenant in Balgirdane, 1376. Thomas Fullo was burgees of Edinburgh in 1386. 4

The famed Alfred Carl Fuller (1885-1973), the original "Fuller Brush Man," was born in Welsford, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1903 at the age of 18. Three years later he started the Fuller Brush Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Early History of the Fuller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fuller research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1376, 1386, 1557, 1580, 1583, 1606, 1608, 1626, 1633, 1635, 1637, 1640, 1654, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1680, 1687, 1691, 1700, 1701, 1704, 1706 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Fuller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fuller Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Fuller include Fuller, Fullere, Fullar, Fullo and others.

Early Notables of the Fuller family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Samuel Fuller (baptized 1580-1633), an English doctor and church deacon from Norfolk who sailed about the Mayflower to colonize North America
  • William Fuller (c. 1580-1659), dean of Ely and later dean of Durham, during the early 1640s he got into serious trouble with parishioners and Parliament
  • Isaac Fuller (1606-1672), an English painter
  • William Fuller (1608-1675) was an English churchman, Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin (1660), Bishop of Limerick (1663), and Bishop of Lincoln (1667)
  • Thomas Fuller (1608-1661), English clergyman and author
  • Samuel Fuller or Fulwar, D.D. (1635-1700), English clergyman, Dean of Lincoln

Fuller World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fuller is the 234th most popular surname with an estimated 111,915 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Fuller is ranked the 957th most popular surname with an estimated 5,630 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Fuller is the 275th popular surname with an estimated 12,541 people with that name. 7 New Zealand ranks Fuller as 482nd with 1,412 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Fuller as 352nd with 17,734 people. 9

Ireland Migration of the Fuller family to Ireland

Some of the Fuller family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Fuller migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Fuller were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Fuller Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Edward Fuller (1575-1621), who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower"
  • Mrs. Ann Fuller, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower", wife of Edward Fuller, name may be incorrect. 10
  • Samual Fuller, (1580-1633), who landed in Massachusetts in 1620 aboard the "Mayflower" as the physician 10
  • Susanna Fuller, who landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 10
  • Mr. Samuel Fuller, (1608-1683), who arrived in Plymouth in 1620 aboard the ship "Mayflower" 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fuller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Bartholomew Fuller, who settled in Maryland in 1733
  • George Fuller, who landed in America in 1740 10
  • Elisabeth Fuller, who landed in America in 1772 10
Fuller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lucy Fuller, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 10
  • Anthy Fuller, who arrived in America in 1823 10
  • William Fuller, who landed in America in 1823 10
  • James Cummings Fuller, who landed in New York in 1834 10
  • Franklin Fuller, who landed in Texas in 1835 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Fuller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fuller Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • George Fuller, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Fuller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • David Fuller, who landed in Canada in 1831
  • Asa Fuller, who landed in Canada in 1840
  • Ms. Mary Fuller, aged 19 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Princess Royal" departing 5th May 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 16th June 1847 but she died on board 12
  • G Fuller, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862
  • S W Fuller, who arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1862

Australia Fuller migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fuller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Simon Fuller, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
  • Miss Mary Fuller, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Canada" in March 1810, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 14
  • Mr. Thomas Fuller, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" in May 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
  • Mr. Thomas Fuller, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 14 years for burglary, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 16
  • William Edward Fuller, a wheelwright, who arrived in Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Fuller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fuller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J Fuller, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841 aboard the ship Mandarin
  • Mr. Fuller, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 21st May 1841 17
  • Mrs. Fuller, British settler travelling from London with 5 children aboard the ship "Mandarin" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 21st May 1841 17
  • John Fuller, aged 37, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • Ann Fuller, aged 40, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Mary Ann" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Fuller migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 18
Fuller Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Elizabeth Fuller, who settled in Barbados in 1687

Contemporary Notables of the name Fuller (post 1700) +

  • Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller (1895-1983), American architect and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Alfred C Fuller (1885-1973), American businessman who founded the Fuller Brush Company in 1906
  • Daniel Payton Fuller (1925-2023), American theologian and professor of hermeneutics, son of radio evangelist Charles E. Fuller, co-founder of the Fuller Theological Seminary
  • Amy Lynn Fuller (1968-2023), American seven-time silver medalist rower, three-time Olympian, and one time World Record holder
  • Charles H. Fuller Jr. (b. 1939), American playwright awarded the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 2020 Tony award for Best Revival of a Play.
  • Mary Fuller McChesney (1922-2022), American sculptor and art historian, 1975 National Endowment for the Arts fellow
  • David Edward Fuller (1941-2022), American politician, born in Helena, Montana
  • Curtis DuBois Fuller (1934-2021), American jazz trombonist, member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers
  • Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli (1810-1850), American editor, essayist, poet and teacher; her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work
  • Brad Allen Fuller (1953-2016), American video game composer known for his work for Atari, specifically Marble Madness, Tetris and Blasteroids
  • ... (Another 181 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Paul Koerner Fuller (1965-1985), American Corporal from Portland, Oregon, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 19
HMAS Sydney II
HMS Royal Oak
  • Charles William Fuller (1910-1939), British Able Seaman with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 21
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • James Ralph Fuller (1938-1988), American Corporate Vice President from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 22

Suggested Readings for the name Fuller +

  • Fuller-Dunham Genealogy: From Edward Fuller of the Mayflower by Robert Wallace Dunham.
  • Fullers, Sissons, and Scotts, Our Yeoman Ancestors: 46 New England and New York Families by Carol Clark Johnson.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  7. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  8. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  9. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  10. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  11. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's Retrieved January 6th 2023, retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  12. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 76)
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
  17. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  19. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
  20. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  21. Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
  22. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
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