2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Fortenbery
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "fort by the berry" or "fortified berry".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Fortenbery. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fortenbery 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Fortenbery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenbery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fortenbery
The surname Fortenbery has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "fort" meaning "away" and "berg" meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person or family who lived away from a hill or mountain area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fortenbery can be found in a document from the town of Düsseldorf, dated 1492. In this record, a man named Hans Fortenbery is mentioned as a local merchant. Another early reference is in a church registry from the village of Böblingen, which lists the birth of a child named Anna Fortenbery in 1511.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Fortenbery name began to spread across various regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Fortenberry, Fortenberrie, and Fortenberger appearing in different local records. One notable individual from this period was Johann Fortenbery (1582-1647), a Lutheran minister who served in the town of Erfurt.
As the Fortenbery family continued to grow and disperse throughout Germany, some members eventually emigrated to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the late 18th century, a Fortenbery family settled in the Netherlands, where they established a successful business in the textile trade. A prominent figure from this branch was Willem Fortenbery (1763-1841), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Amsterdam.
Another notable person with the Fortenbery surname was Friedrich Fortenbery (1812-1887), a German-born artist who gained fame for his landscape paintings. He spent much of his career in Italy, where he was influenced by the Italian Romantic movement.
As the Fortenbery name continued to spread, it eventually made its way to North America, where it can be found in various regions of the United States and Canada. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is from the late 18th century, when a family of Fortenberys settled in Pennsylvania.
Throughout its history, the Fortenbery surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in fields such as business, religion, art, and more.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortenbery
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenbery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Fortenbery 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 Fortenbery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fortenbery
Fortenbery 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,209 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,209 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Fortenbery 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fortenbery bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Fortenbery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fortenbery?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Fortenbery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Fortenbery?
Fortenbery ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Fortenbery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fortenbery.
Has Fortenbery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fortenbery went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Fortenbery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortenbery, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Fortenbery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fortenbery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Fortenbery (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 Fortenbery mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "fort by the berry" or "fortified berry". 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 Fortenbery (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Fortenbery?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.