Fortunata
Feminine name of Latin origin meaning fortunate or lucky.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Fortunata. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Fortunata today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Fortunata births was 1918 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Fortunata. 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
- • The typical person named Fortunata is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Fortunatas were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Fortunata. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1918
25 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1978 SSA rank
#10,256
Tracked since 1908
Census
Fortunata in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 705 people with the first name Fortunata, which placed it at #16,105 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,105
National first-name rank
People counted
705
705 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
44.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortunata
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fortunata is Hispanic at 44.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (26.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Fortunata described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Fortunata at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino44.1% · 311
- White27.4% · 193
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.1% · 184
- Black or African American2.4% · 17
Popularity
Fortunata: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Fortunata from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 112 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1910s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Fortunata 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 Fortunata during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Fortunatas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Fortunata
The name Fortunata originates from Latin and is the feminine form of the adjective "fortunatus", meaning "lucky" or "blessed". It has its roots in the Latin word "fortuna", which means fortune or chance. The name likely emerged during the Roman era, when Latin was the dominant language across much of Europe.
Fortunata was a relatively common name among Roman women, particularly those from affluent or noble families. It was seen as a positive and auspicious name, conveying a sense of good luck and prosperity. The name's association with fortune and blessings made it a popular choice for parents wishing their daughters a life of abundance and joy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fortunata can be found in Roman inscriptions and historical records dating back to the 1st century AD. For example, the name appears in the writings of the Roman historian Tacitus, who mentions a Fortunata among the servants of the Empress Messalina.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Fortunata continued to be used across various regions of Europe, particularly in areas with strong Roman cultural influences, such as Italy, Spain, and France. During this period, the name was often associated with the Christian concept of divine blessings and grace.
Notable individuals named Fortunata throughout history include:
1. Fortunata (fl. 1st century AD), a Roman woman mentioned in Tacitus' Annals as a servant of Empress Messalina.
2. Fortunata (fl. 6th century), a Christian martyr from Caesarea Maritima, venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Church.
3. Fortunata Segatori (1718-1766), an Italian painter and engraver from Bologna, known for her religious works and portraits.
4. Fortunata Savio (1787-1824), an Italian religious sister and mystic, beatified by the Catholic Church in 1966.
5. Fortunata Ević (1923-1967), a Croatian actress and theater director, known for her performances in numerous plays and films.
Throughout history, the name Fortunata has carried a sense of optimism and auspiciousness, reflecting the hopes and aspirations of parents for their daughters' lives. While its popularity has waxed and waned over time, it remains a name with a rich cultural heritage and a connection to the ideals of good fortune and blessings.
People
Fortunata + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Fortunata 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
Fortunata: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Fortunata?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Fortunata 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 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Fortunata a common name?
We classify Fortunata as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 253 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Fortunata most popular?
The single biggest year for Fortunata was 1918, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Fortunata is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Fortunata in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 705 people with the name Fortunata, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,105 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Fortunata in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Fortunata?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Fortunata appears almost entirely female. Of the 704 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Fortunata?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Fortunata is Hispanic at 44.1%. The next largest groups are White (27.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (26.1%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Fortunata most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Fortunata in the 2020 Census, accounting for 44.1% (311 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Fortunata in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Fortunata a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Fortunata in the SSA data are female. 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 Fortunata still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Fortunata 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 Fortunata 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.
How many people are named Fortunata?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.