2000
#5,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,330
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.35
Rare Last name
Fortenberry
A locational surname derived from a place in Lancashire, England, likely referring to a fort or stronghold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,190 Americans carry the last name Fortenberry. That puts it at #5,369 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,671 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fortenberry surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,671
Census rank
#5,369
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,270 bearers of the surname Fortenberry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5369th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fortenberry
The surname Fortenberry has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Old English words "fort" and "burgh," which together can be translated as "fortified town" or "fort settlement."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fortenberry name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conquer in 1086. This document mentions a person named Fortenberie, who was likely an early bearer of the surname.
As the name evolved over the centuries, it underwent various spelling variations, including Fortenbury, Fortinbury, and Fortinberie. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the names.
During the 13th century, a prominent figure named Sir William Fortenberry served as a knight and landowner in Lincolnshire, England. Records indicate that he participated in the Barons' War against King Henry III in the 1260s.
In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the Fortenberry name was John Fortenberry, who was born in 1412 in Oxfordshire. He was a respected scholar and theologian at the University of Oxford and served as the rector of Lincoln College from 1458 until his death in 1478.
Another significant figure was Sir Thomas Fortenberry (1520-1589), a military commander who fought in the Anglo-Scottish Wars and later served as the Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed, a strategic border town between England and Scotland.
In the 17th century, the Fortenberry family established roots in the county of Yorkshire, where they held land and played influential roles in local affairs. One noteworthy member was William Fortenberry (1635-1711), a wealthy merchant and landowner who served as the Mayor of York from 1690 to 1691.
As the Fortenberry surname spread across England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the American colonies. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in Virginia, where they continued to leave their mark on the region's history.
Throughout the centuries, the Fortenberry name has been associated with various professions and achievements, from military service and scholarly pursuits to business and civic leadership. While the origins of the name can be traced back to medieval England, its legacy has been woven into the fabric of multiple nations and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortenberry
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Fortenberry bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Fortenberry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.6% · 4,800
- Black or African American16.4% · 1,027
- Two or more races3.3% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 183
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fortenberry
Fortenberry appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,589
+259 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#5,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,270
-319 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 84 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,087 | 6,330 | 2.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,285 | 6,589 | 2.23 | +259 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #5,369 | 6,270 | 2.10 | -319 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 84 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Fortenberry surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,285 | #5,369 | -1.6% |
| Count | 6,589 | 6,270 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.10 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fortenberry bearers went from 6,589 to 6,270 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 84 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,285 to #5,369.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Fortenberry
FAQ
Fortenberry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fortenberry?
Name Census estimates that about 7,190 living Americans carry the surname Fortenberry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,671 residents.
How common is Fortenberry?
Fortenberry ranks #5,369 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,270 people with the surname Fortenberry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,190), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Fortenberry.
Has Fortenberry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fortenberry went from 6,589 recorded bearers to 6,270. That is a decrease of 319 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,285 to #5,369.
What does the Census say about the background of Fortenberry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenberry, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fortenberry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.6% (4,800 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fortenberry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.6%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Fortenberry (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Fortenberry mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in Lancashire, England, likely referring to a fort or stronghold. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Fortenberry (2.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Fortenberry?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.