2000
#17,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Fortes
A Portuguese and Spanish surname referring to a strong, vigorous, or brave person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,082 Americans carry the last name Fortes. That puts it at #15,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fortes 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fortes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,627
Census rank
#15,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,816 bearers of the surname Fortes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 33.7%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Hispanic (15.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fortes
The surname FORTES is of Portuguese origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Latin word "fortis," meaning strong, brave, or courageous. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited such qualities.
In the 13th century, the FORTES surname can be found in historical records from the northern regions of Portugal, particularly in the provinces of Minho and Trás-os-Montes. The earliest known spelling variations include Fortes, Fortis, and Fortez.
One of the earliest documented references to the FORTES name dates back to 1287, when a certain João Fortes was mentioned in a land deed from the town of Guimarães. This region was historically significant, as it was the birthplace of the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques.
In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, several notable Portuguese explorers bore the FORTES surname. Among them was Pedro Fortes, a navigator who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
Another prominent figure was Fernão Fortes, a soldier and military engineer who played a crucial role in the Portuguese conquest of Malacca in 1511. He later served as the governor of the Moluccas Islands from 1522 to 1525.
During the 16th century, the FORTES name gained further prominence with the birth of Luís Fortes (1508-1588), a renowned humanist scholar and professor at the University of Coimbra. He was widely respected for his contributions to the fields of philosophy and rhetoric.
In the 17th century, Diogo Fortes (1630-1698) was a celebrated architect and military engineer. He is best known for his work on the fortifications of Lisbon and the design of the Aqueduto das Águas Livres, a monumental aqueduct that supplied water to the city.
The FORTES surname has also been associated with several notable individuals in more recent history, such as José Fortes (1785-1849), a Portuguese poet and dramatist, and António Fortes (1919-2000), a prominent journalist and writer who played a significant role in the fight against the Estado Novo regime in Portugal.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortes
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 33.7%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Hispanic (15.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Fortes 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 Fortes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American33.7% · 612
- White29.0% · 527
- Hispanic or Latino15.6% · 283
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.0% · 255
- Two or more races7.0% · 128
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fortes
Fortes 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
#14,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,988
+502 bearers (+33.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 2,602 places
2020
#15,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,816
-172 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 638 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,483 | 1,486 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,881 | 1,988 | 0.67 | +502 bearers (+33.8%) | Up 2,602 places |
| 2020 | #15,519 | 1,816 | 0.61 | -172 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 638 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 Fortes 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 | #14,881 | #15,519 | -4.3% |
| Count | 1,988 | 1,816 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.61 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fortes bearers went from 1,988 to 1,816 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 638 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,881 to #15,519.
FAQ
Fortes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fortes?
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the surname Fortes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,627 residents.
How common is Fortes?
Fortes ranks #15,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,816 people with the surname Fortes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Fortes.
Has Fortes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fortes went from 1,988 recorded bearers to 1,816. That is a decrease of 172 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,881 to #15,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Fortes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortes, the largest self-reported group is Black at 33.7%. The next largest groups are White (29.0%) and Hispanic (15.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fortes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 33.7% (612 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fortes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (33.7%), White (29.0%), Hispanic (15.6%). 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 Fortes (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 Fortes mean?
A Portuguese and Spanish surname referring to a strong, vigorous, or brave person. 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 Fortes (0.61 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 common is the surname Fortes?
Find out how many people have the last name Fortes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.