Origins Available: English,
Irish
Early Origins of the Fullam family
The surname Fullam was first found in Middlesex where they held a
family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of
Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a
Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all
England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the
Domesday Book,
[1]CITATION[CLOSE]
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the
tenant of the lands of Fulham, held by Fulcred who held the lands from the Bishop of London and who was recorded in the
Domesday Book census of 1086.
Early History of the Fullam family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fullam research.
Another 107 words (8 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fullam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Fullam Spelling Variations
Endless
spelling variations are a prevailing characteristic of Norman surnames. Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules, and the introduction of Norman French added an unfamiliar ingredient to the English linguistic stew. French and Latin, the languages of the court, also influenced spellings. Finally, Medieval scribes generally spelled words according to how they sounded, so one person was often referred to by different spellings in different documents. The name has been spelled Fullem, Fullam, Fulham and others.
Early Notables of the Fullam family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Fullam Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Fullam family to Ireland
Some of the Fullam family moved to
Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 179 words (13 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Fullam family to the New World and Oceana
To escape the political and religious persecution within
England at the time, many English families left for the various British colonies abroad. The voyage was extremely difficult, though, and the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving. But for those who made it, the trip was most often worth it. Many of the families who arrived went on to make valuable contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families reveals a number of immigrants bearing the name Fullam or a variant listed above:
Fullam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- Francis Fullam, who settled in New England in 1684
Fullam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Ann Fullam, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - James Fullam, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [2]CITATION[CLOSE]
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) - Luke Fullam, who naturalized in Georgia in 1831
Fullam Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Margaret Fullam, aged 21, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
- Mary Fullam, aged 19, a dairymaid, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Aliquis"
Contemporary Notables of the name Fullam (post 1700)
- John Patrick Fullam (1921-2018), American jurist, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1966-1990)
- Everett Leslie "Terry" Fullam (1930-2014), American priest, biblical scholar, and teacher
- William Fullam (1855-1926), American Admiral, eponym of the USS Fullam, a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II
- Johnny Fullam (1940-2015), Irish footballer who played from 1958 to 1980 including for the Republic of Ireland National Team (1960-1969)
- Bob Fullam, one of the best-known Irish footballers