# Pulliam (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/pulliam/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | French |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 11,613 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,099 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 26,586 people |
| Change since 2000 | +6.3% (10,923 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /ˈpʊl.jəm/, 3 syllables |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Anglo-Norman pulain (“foal, colt”), from Old French polain (“foal, colt”). Alternatively, it may derive from Welsh ap (“son of”) and William.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Pulliam in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 66% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 28% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.8% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.5% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 1.0% |
| Two or more races | 2.5% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Pulliam in the United States.

## People named Pulliam

- Keshia Knight Pulliam, American actress

## Similar surnames

Pullum, Pullen, Pullin, Palma, Paulino, Phelan, Palomo, Palm, Poulin, Paulin, Pelham, Plum.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.