Find out how popular the last name Fornos is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Fornos.

Fornos, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Fornos surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fornos in America

Fornos is the 120187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fornos surname appeared 144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Fornos.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fornos to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Fornos

The surname Fornos is believed to have originated in Portugal, deriving from the Portuguese word "forno" which means "oven" or "bakery." It is likely that the name was initially used as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a baker or owned a bakery.

In the 13th century, the surname Fornos appeared in various Portuguese records, with one of the earliest known references being found in the "Inquirições de Afonso III" from 1258. This document recorded the names of landowners and their properties throughout the kingdom of Portugal.

During the medieval period, the name Fornos was often associated with the baking trade and was commonly found in areas known for their bakeries or ovens, such as the towns of Fornos de Algodres and Fornos de Ledra, both located in northern Portugal.

One notable figure bearing the surname Fornos was João Rodrigues Fornos, who lived in the 15th century and was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Porto. Another historical figure was Fernão Rodrigues Fornos, a 16th-century explorer and navigator who accompanied the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama on his voyages to India.

In the 17th century, the surname Fornos appeared in various documents related to the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. Among these records is a reference to Simão Fornos, a settler who established a sugarcane plantation in the Bahia region in the 1620s.

As the surname spread beyond Portugal, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Fornós, Fornós de Castro, and Fornós de Maceira Dão, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and linguistic evolution.

Another individual of note was António Joaquim Fornos, a 19th-century Portuguese politician and writer who served as a deputy in the Portuguese parliament and published several works on history and literature.

While the surname Fornos is most commonly associated with Portugal, it has also been recorded in other parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as in former Portuguese colonies and territories with a significant Portuguese presence.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fornos

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Fornos.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Fornos was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Fornos has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Fornos was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Fornos, please contact us.

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