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

Fortner, 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 Fortner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fortner in America

Fortner is the 3001st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fortner surname appeared 11,951 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Fortner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fortner 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 Fortner

The surname FORTNER is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "fort," meaning "forth" or "forward," suggesting that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive term for someone who was adventurous or traveled frequently.

In some regions of Germany, the name may also have been associated with the word "Furten," which referred to a shallow place in a river where one could cross safely. This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a ford or crossing point.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FORTNER surname can be found in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, in the 14th century. A merchant named Hans FORTNER was mentioned in a local record from 1387, indicating that the name was already established in the region at that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the FORTNER name appeared in various German records and documents, including church registers and tax rolls. Notable individuals with this surname from this period include Johann FORTNER (1540-1612), a Protestant theologian and author from Saxony, and Anna FORTNER (1598-1675), a midwife and herbalist from Bavaria.

As the FORTNER family spread across Europe, the name encountered various spelling variations, such as FORTNER, FORTENER, and FORTTNER. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the Netherlands, where the name was sometimes recorded as FORTENAAR.

One of the most famous individuals with the FORTNER surname was Friedrich FORTNER (1832-1901), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities. Another notable figure was Wilhelm FORTNER (1886-1958), a German military officer and recipient of the Iron Cross during World War I.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many FORTNER families emigrated from Germany and other parts of Europe to North America, where the name continued to be used and adapted to local spellings and pronunciations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fortner

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

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

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

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