Forti last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Forti

An Italian surname derived from the word "forte" meaning strong or fortified.

Forti, 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 Forti surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forti in America

Forti is the 30665th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forti surname appeared 760 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 Forti.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forti 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 30665 29543 3.73%
Count 760 753 0.93%
Proportion per 100k 0.26 0.28 -7.41%

The history of the last name Forti

The surname Forti is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "fortis," which means "strong" or "brave." This surname likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who possessed these qualities or perhaps worked in a role that required strength and courage.

The earliest recorded instances of the Forti surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries in regions such as Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. One notable mention of the name appears in the Florentine tax records of 1315, where a certain Guido Forti is listed as a taxpayer.

In the 15th century, the Forti family gained prominence in the city of Siena, where they were involved in the wool trade and held influential positions within the local government. One of the most renowned members of this family was Antonio Forti (1390-1457), a successful merchant and diplomat who served as an ambassador for the Republic of Siena.

During the Renaissance period, the Forti surname was also associated with several notable artists and intellectuals. Pietro Forti (1475-1545), a painter from Modena, was celebrated for his religious frescoes and altarpieces commissioned by various churches and nobility in northern Italy. Another figure of note was Girolamo Forti (1520-1592), a scholar and philosopher from Bologna who authored several treatises on logic and metaphysics.

As the Forti family spread across different regions of Italy, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, such as Fortis, Forte, and Fortin. One prominent individual bearing this name was Giacomo Forti (1670-1745), a composer and violinist from Venice who was renowned for his instrumental works and operas.

In the 19th century, the Forti name gained further recognition with Carlo Forti (1805-1888), a politician and statesman from Parma who played a significant role in the unification of Italy and served as a senator in the newly formed Kingdom of Italy.

Throughout history, the Forti surname has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including military leaders, artists, writers, and professionals in various fields. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Italy, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forti

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

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 Forti was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 80.39% 611
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.05% 8
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.79% 6
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.79% 6
Hispanic Origin 16.97% 129

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 Forti has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 80.39% 83.53% -3.83%
Black 1.05% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.79% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 0.79% 0.93% -16.28%
Hispanic 16.97% 14.87% 13.19%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Forti last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/forti-surname-popularity/.

"Forti last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/forti-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Forti last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/forti-surname-popularity/.

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