Fort
A name derived from the French word "fort" meaning "strong place" or "fortress".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Fort. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Fort today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fort births was 1916 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fort. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fort. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1916
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1916 SSA rank
#4,134
Tracked since 1916
Popularity
Fort: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Fort by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Fort during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Fort
The name Fort is an English given name derived from the Old French word "fort", meaning "strong" or "fortified". Its origins can be traced back to the Latin word "fortis", which also means "strong" or "brave". The name is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive term for a person with a strong or robust physique or personality.
The earliest recorded use of Fort as a given name dates back to the late 12th century in England, where it was occasionally used as a masculine name. During the Middle Ages, the name was primarily associated with the nobility and upper classes, as it conveyed a sense of strength and resilience, qualities that were highly valued in medieval society.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Fort was Fort de Baux, a French nobleman and crusader who lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure during the Third Crusade and participated in the siege of Acre in 1191.
In the 15th century, Fort Leavenworth, an American military officer and explorer, was born in Connecticut in 1758. He played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the American West, leading expeditions and establishing military forts.
Another notable bearer of the name was Fort Tuthill, an American politician and judge who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from California in the late 19th century (1869-1873).
In the 20th century, Fort Worthington was an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1920s. He was born in 1898 and played in the Major Leagues from 1923 to 1927.
Fort Lauderdale, an American businessman and philanthropist, was born in 1837 and is best known for establishing the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which was named in his honor.
While the name Fort has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has been used across various cultures and regions, often reflecting the qualities of strength, resilience, and fortitude that are associated with its meaning.
People
Fort + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fort as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Fort: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fort?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fort going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Fort a common name?
We classify Fort as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fort most popular?
The single biggest year for Fort was 1916, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fort is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Fort in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fort a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fort in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Fort still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fort in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Fort can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Fort as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Fort on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.