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

Fortaleza, 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 Fortaleza surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fortaleza in America

Fortaleza is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fortaleza surname appeared 149 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 Fortaleza.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fortaleza 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 Fortaleza

The surname Fortaleza has its origins in the Portuguese language and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages in Portugal. It derives from the word "fortaleza," which means "fortress" or "stronghold." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near or worked in a fortified structure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fortaleza can be found in the 14th century Portuguese manuscript, the Livro Velho de Linhagens, which documented noble lineages. This suggests that the name was initially associated with nobility or military service.

In the 15th century, the surname appears in various historical records from the Algarve region of southern Portugal, indicating that this area may have been an early center for the Fortaleza family. The name is also linked to the city of Fortaleza in Brazil, which was established by the Portuguese in the 17th century and named after a fortification built there.

One notable individual bearing the Fortaleza surname was João Fortaleza, a Portuguese soldier and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century. Another was Estevão Fortaleza, a 16th-century Portuguese navigator who explored the coast of present-day Brazil.

In the 17th century, Miguel de Fortaleza was a prominent Jesuit missionary who worked in the Portuguese colonies of South America. His writings and accounts of his travels and missionary work shed light on the history and culture of the region during that time.

Moving into the 18th century, Manuel Fortaleza was a Portuguese architect who designed several churches and public buildings in Lisbon and other cities. His work was influenced by the Baroque and Neoclassical styles popular during that era.

In the 19th century, Joaquim Fortaleza was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as a senator and played a significant role in the abolition of slavery in Brazil. He was also a prominent figure in the republican movement that led to the overthrow of the Brazilian monarchy.

These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Fortaleza, a name with deep roots in Portuguese and Brazilian history, culture, and exploration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fortaleza

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

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

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

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