Show ContentsFuliams History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The family name Fuliams is thought to be of Norman origins. Originally, Fuliams was a name given to a person who had a limp, or a malformed leg. The name was originally derived from the Old French fol, which means foolish, and jambe, which means leg. Such names are often attributed to people in jest. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nicknames often referred or alluded to a physical feature. Unfortunately, on some occasions the tradition emphasized a physical deformity or injury in a way that would be considered cruel today, however, at the time this practice was meant only to identify a person by a distinguishing characteristic.

Early Origins of the Fuliams family

The surname Fuliams was first found in Derbyshire where by the early 11th and 12th centuries the name was already well established in the Peak District and was one of the marauding families of the East Cheshire and Derbyshire forests which were controlled by Sir George Vernon, known as the 'King of the Peak'.

In the 13th century, Sir Thomas Foljambe was Bailiff of the High Peak. These Cheshire and Derbyshire families provided the core of Knights and fighting men for the wars in France during that time.

Sir Godfrey de Foljambe (1317-1376) was a prominent landowner and politician from Derbyshire, the fourth son of Sir Thomas de Foljambe. At that time, the family were Lords of the Manor of Tideswell and also held lands at Darley Dale. Godfrey rose to become an Irish judge and served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. His tomb can still be seen at All Saints Church, Bakewell.

Foulsham is a village and civil parish in Norfolk that dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Folsham and literally meant "farmstead of a man called Fugol" from the Old English personal name + ham. 1

The village gave its name to a family of Puritan dissidents who fled England to America to settle in Hingham, Massachusetts, where they frequently changed their name to Folsom.

Early History of the Fuliams family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fuliams research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1622, 1626, 1633 and 1640 are included under the topic Early Fuliams History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fuliams Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Fuliams have been found, including Foljambe, Foljambes, Folgambe, Folgambes, Folyambe, Folyambes, Fuljame, Fuljames, Fulgambe, Fulgambes, Fulljames, Fullgames, Folljames, Foliambe, Fuliambe, Foliam, Fuliam, Foliams and many more.

Early Notables of the Fuliams family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fuliams Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fuliams family

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Fuliams were among those contributors: William Foliam who landed in North America in 1763; William Foljambe, who was naturalized in Allegheny Co. PA in 1854.



  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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