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Fullerton History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies South Africa

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Fullerton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Fullerton

What does the name Fullerton mean?

Fullerton was first used as a surname in the Scottish/English Borderlands by the Strathclyde-Briton. The first Fullerton family lived in the barony of Fullertoun in the parish of Dundonald in Ayrshire. That the family assumed the name of where they lived is often indicative the degree of power and influence they held in that area. Fullerton is most definitely such a name, easily identified by the suffix "-ton", meaning "settlement" or "town".

The place in question is almost certainly Fullerton, near Ayr or possibly Foulertoun near Forfar, both in Scotland. Both of these towns derive their name from the word "fuglere", meaning "bird-catcher" (the English word "fowler" has the same origin), indicating that fowl was the primary product of these towns.

Fullarton "which is situated on the southwestern bank of the river Irvine, derives its name from its ancient proprietors, the Fullartons, by one of whom a convent was founded in 1240, on the site of the present town, and amply endowed for friars of the Carmelite order. " 1

Early Origins of the Fullerton family

The surname Fullerton was first found in Ayrshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Inbhir Àir), formerly a county in the southwestern Strathclyde region of Scotland, that today makes up the Council Areas of South, East, and North Ayrshire. The earliest evidence of the Fullerton family appeared in the mid 13th century, with Alanus de Fowlertoun who founded and endowed out of his lands a convent of Carmelite or White Friars at Irvine. He died circa 1280 and was succeeded by his son Adam de Fowlerton, who had a charter of the lands of Foullartous and Gaylis in Kyle Stewart a few years after his father's death.

A branch of his family settled in Arran and are said to have received from King Robert the Bruce a charter of the lands of Kilmichael with the office of coroner and the honorary title of Falconer to the King, in 1307. These estates were held for several centuries and in later years the family branched to Kinnaber in Angus. 2

Gradually many of the estates were lost by marriage, and one of the last was Ballintoy Castle in County Antrim, Ireland which was acquired by the Downings in marriage. From the appointment by Bruce on, a long series of titles belonged to this respectable family. Rankin de Fowlartoun was the dominus de Corsby in the early 15th century and John Fullarton was first minister of Sanquhar after the Reformation.

The most prestigious title held by the family came, however, in 1327 when Robert I granted to Galfridus de Foullertoune (whose name is also recorded as Galfredus Fullerton) the land of Oulertoun in the sheriffdom of Forfar and the hereditary office of falconer within the sheriffdom. The estate was held by the Fullartons for over 120 years before they transferred themselves to the parish of Meigle, in which there are lands which bear the name to this day. 2

Early History of the Fullerton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fullerton research. Another 221 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1588, 1593, 1603, 1607, 1631, 1645, 1707, 1720, 1727, 1865 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Fullerton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fullerton Spelling Variations

Medieval Scottish names are rife with spelling variations. This is due to the fact that scribes in that era spelled according to the sound of words, rather than any set of rules. Fullerton has been spelled Fullerton, Fullarton, Foulerton, Fowlerton, McCoy and others.

Early Notables of the Fullerton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Fullerton, Esq...
, of which about 800 acres are arable, 770 pasture, and about 30 woodland, all the property of John Fullerton, Esq...
Fullerton, is a handsome mansion in the early style of domestic architecture, finely situated in a well-wooded park, and commanding some interesting views...

Fullerton Ranking

In the United States, the name Fullerton is the 3,973^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Fullerton family to Ireland

Some of the Fullerton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 303 words (22 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fullerton migration to the United States +

Many Scots were left with few options other than to leave their homeland for the colonies across the Atlantic. Some of these families fought to defend their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. Others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these families have recently been able to rediscover their roots through Clan societies and other Scottish organizations. Among them:

Fullerton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Fullerton, who settled in Virginia in 1658
Alexander Fullerton who settled in Virginia in 1684
Thomas Fullerton, who arrived in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1684 4

Fullerton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Anna Fullerton, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 4
George Fullerton, who arrived in Charles Town, South Carolina in 1709 4
William Fullerton, who landed in New England in 1728 4
George Fullerton, who settled in Georgia in 1735
Robert Fullerton, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1745 4

Fullerton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Agnes Fullerton, who arrived in America in 1805 4
James, Fullerton Jr., who arrived in America in 1809 4
John Fullerton, who landed in America in 1812 4
Stewart Fullerton, who arrived in New York in 1824 4
Ann Fullerton, who landed in New York in 1837 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fullerton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fullerton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

James Fullerton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. J.B. Fullerton U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5
Mrs. Susanna Fullerton U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 5

Fullerton migration to Australia +

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

Fullerton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elizabeth Fullerton, (b. 1815), aged 22, Irish house maid who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for vagrancy, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1888 6
Miss Elizabeth Fullerton, (b. 1812), aged 25, Irish house maid who was convicted in Londonderry, Ireland for 7 years for vagrancy, transported aboard the "Diamond" on 29th November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Fullerton 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:

Fullerton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Jane Fullerton, (b. 1839), aged 24, British dairywoman travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 7
Miss Margaret Fullerton, (b. 1845), aged 18, British dairywoman travelling from London aboard the ship 'Mermaid' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 16th February 1864 7
John Fullerton, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Assaye" in 1874 7
Mr. John Fullerton, British settler travelling from London, UK with 1 child aboard the ship "Assaye" arriving in Auckland, North Island, New Zealand on 26th December 1874 7

Fullerton 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. 8

Fullerton Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

David Fullerton, who landed in Dominica in 1767 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Fullerton (post 1700) +

Larry W. Fullerton (1950-2016), American inventor, best known for the invention of ultra-wideband technology
William Morton Fullerton (1865-1952), French-born, American print journalist, author and foreign correspondent for The Times
Fatima Irish Fullerton (b. 1983), American singer and actress
Hugh Stuart Fullerton III (1873-1945), American sportswriter, one of the founders of the Baseball Writers Association of America
George William Fullerton (1923-2009), American guitar innovator and associate of Leo Fender
Edward Reno "Ed" Fullerton (b. 1931), former American football halfback and defensive back who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1953
David Fullerton (1772-1843), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1819-1820)
Charlotte Louise Fullerton, American two-time Emmy Award nominated writer of television, novels, comic books and video games
Curt Fullerton (1898-1975), American Major League Baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox (1921-1933)
Charles Gordon Fullerton (1936-2013), American USAF and NASA astronaut from September 1969 until November 1986 with over 15 days in orbit 9
... (Another 30 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fullerton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Lux in tenebris
Motto Translation: Light in darkness.

Sources +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 1st July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Diamond
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2011, January 19) Charles Fullerton. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/fullerton-cg.html