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

Fort, 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 Fort surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fort in America

Fort is the 4382nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fort surname appeared 8,117 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Fort.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fort 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 Fort

The surname FORT originates from England and France, and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "fort," meaning "strong" or "fortified place." The name was often given to people who lived near a fort or castle, or who were tasked with guarding and defending these structures.

In England, the surname FORT first appeared in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were records of landowners and their holdings. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Fort, who was listed as a landowner in Gloucestershire in the late 13th century.

During the Middle Ages, the FORT surname was also found in various parts of France, particularly in the northern regions. One notable example is Jehan Fort, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the 14th century.

The FORT surname has been associated with several place names, such as Fort William in Scotland, which was named after William III of England, and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, named after a British soldier named Major William Lauderdale.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname FORT. One of the most famous was Benjamin Franklin's wife, Deborah Read Fort (1708-1774), who was a skilled businesswoman and a respected figure in colonial Philadelphia.

Another notable bearer of the FORT surname was Sir Sampson Fort (1585-1639), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1629. He was a wealthy businessman and was knighted by King Charles I.

In the literary world, the American poet and novelist Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) had a close friend and correspondent named Samuel Bowles Fort (1828-1886), who was a publisher and editor of the Springfield Republican newspaper.

During the American Civil War, John Franklin Fort (1822-1901) was a Union Army officer who served as a brigadier general and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Missionary Ridge.

Lastly, one of the earliest known bearers of the FORT surname was Robert Fort (c. 1170-1235), an English nobleman and landowner who served as the Sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire in the early 13th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fort

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

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 Fort 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 Fort 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 Fort was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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