Show ContentsFulton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Fulton family

The surname Fulton was first found in Roxburghshire at Fulton, "an extinct border village." [1]

"Thomas de Fulton witnessed a donation to the monastery of Paisley, c. 1260, and in 1272 he witnessed a quitclaim of the land of Fulton. Thomas de Fultoun and Alan de Foulton witnessed grants by Malcolm, earl of Levenax to Paisley, 1273. Alan de Fulton appears again in 1284 as witness to a resignation. Henry de Foultone of Lanarkshire rendered homage in 1296. Thomas de Fultone, vicar of the church of Irnnewyk (Innerwick), and Thomas de Fougheltone of Lanarkshire also rendered homage in same year." [2]

The "rendered homage" entries in the preceding paragraph refers to the invasion by King Edward I of England in 1296. After the conquer, tenants had to "render homage" to the king, or face losing all their lands.

Further the south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included John de Fultone and Robert de Fultone as both holding lands in Cambridgeshire. [3]

Looking back further, we found Richard Fulton in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1218 and Roger de Fuldon in the RegAntiquiss of 1255-1288. In this case, the family may have been from Foulden in Norfolk. [4]

The parish of Foulden is in the union of Swaffham, hundred of South Greenhoe, W. division of Norfolk [5] and dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Fugalduna. [6] Literally the name means "hill frequented by birds." [7]

Filton is a civil parish in South Gloucestershire, north of the City of Bristol and this parish dates back to c. 1187.

Early History of the Fulton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fulton research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1260, 1296, 1506, 1890 and 1903 are included under the topic Early Fulton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fulton Spelling Variations

Although the name, Fulton, appeared in many references, from time to time, the surname was shown with the spellings Fulton, Ffulton, Fullton, Filton, Filtin and others.

Early Notables of the Fulton family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • Robert Fulton who designed a steam engine which was used on the boats on the Mississippi

Fulton World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fulton is the 861st most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. [8] However, in Australia, the name Fulton is ranked the 815th most popular surname with an estimated 4,819 people with that name. [9] And in New Zealand, the name Fulton is the 809th popular surname with an estimated 901 people with that name. [10]

Ireland Migration of the Fulton family to Ireland

Some of the Fulton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 87 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Fulton migration to the United States +

Gradually becoming disenchanted with life in Ireland many of these uprooted families sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. These overcrowded ships often arrived with only 60 to 70% of their original passenger list, many dying of cholera, typhoid, dysentery or small pox. In North America, some of the first immigrants who could be considered kinsmen of the Fulton family name Fulton, or who bore a variation of the surname were

Fulton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Gowen Fulton, who landed in New England in 1730 [11]
  • Philip Fulton, aged 37, who arrived in New York in 1760 [11]
  • John Fulton, who landed in America in 1795 [11]
  • Andrew Fulton, who arrived in Kentucky in 1797 [11]
Fulton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Alexander Fulton, who arrived in Maryland in 1803 [11]
  • Alexander Fulton, aged 34, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1803 [11]
  • Nancy Fulton, aged 31, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 [11]
  • Thomas Fulton, who landed in America in 1805 [11]
  • James Fulton, who landed in America in 1805 [11]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Fulton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fulton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Samuel Fulton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • James Fulton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1775
  • John Fulton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1775
  • Capt. James Fulton U.E., "Fullton" (b. 1759) born in Londonderry, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA from Londonderry, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, USA who settled in Home District [York County], Ontario c. 1784 he served in Governor Wentworth's Volunteers from 1777 -1781 then King's American Dragoons from 1781-1783 he die din 1829, married to Mary 1783 they had 4 children [12]
  • Mr. Robert Fulton U.E. who settled in New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association [12]
Fulton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Ann Fulton, aged 14, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Salus" in 1833
  • Ann Fulton, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • Mary Fulton, aged 26, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • Ann Fulton, aged 18, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • Mary Fulton, aged 26, a spinster, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Protector" in 1834
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Fulton migration to Australia +

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

Fulton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Mary Fulton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [13]
  • Mr. Robert Fulton, Jr., Scottish convict who was convicted in Ayr, Scotland for 15 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [14]
  • Mr. James Fulton, British Convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia [15]
  • John Fulton, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"

New Zealand Fulton 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:

Fulton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mrs. Barbary Fulton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gwalior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1852 [16]
  • Miss Catherine Fulton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gwalior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1852 [16]
  • Miss Isabella Fulton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gwalior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1852 [16]
  • Miss Agnes Fulton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gwalior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1852 [16]
  • Miss Mary Ann Fulton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Gwalior" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 14th June 1852 [16]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Fulton (post 1700) +

  • Shirley Fulton (1952-2023), American jurist and prosecutor, the first black woman to serve as a judge in the Superior Court of North Carolina
  • Brigadier-General Walter Scott Fulton (1879-1959), American Commanding General, Fort Benning, Georgia (1942-1944) [17]
  • William Edgar Fulton (b. 1939), American mathematician awarded the Steele Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2010
  • Alexander Fulton, American, the founder of the Iowa State Agricultural Society
  • Robert Fulton (1765-1815), American engineer and artist; while he did not invent the steamboat, he did design and build the first commercially successful one
  • Charles Britton Fulton (1910-1996), American lawyer and United States federal judge
  • David Paul Fulton (b. 1971), former English cricketer
  • Robert "Bob" Fulton AM (1947-2021), English-born Australian rugby league player and coach
  • Margaret Isobel Fulton OAM (1924-2019), Scottish-born, Australian food and cooking writer, journalist, author and commentator
  • Lieutenant General Sir Robert Henry Gervase Fulton KBE (b. 1948), British former Royal Marines officer who served as Governor of Gibraltar
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Leslie Joseph Milne Fulton, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking [18]
Lady of the Lake
  • Mr. John Fulton (b. 1814), Irish labourer from Derry, Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and he died in the sinking
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. John Napier Fulton, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Montréal, Quebec, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking [19]
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Robert Wilson Fulton, American Aviation Metalsmith (Aircraft Launching, Landing and handling operations) from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [20]


Suggested Readings for the name Fulton +

  • Fulton Genealogy, 1751-1986: Robert Fulton of Ireland; Boston, Massachusetts; Londonderry, New Hampshire; and Upper Canada, with His American and Canadian Descendants by Ruth Coan Fulton.

  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. 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)
  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. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  7. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  8. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  9. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  10. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  11. 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)
  12. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
  14. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
  16. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  17. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 5) Walter Fulton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Fulton/Walter_Scott/USA.html
  18. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
  19. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
  20. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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