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

Forton, 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 Forton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Forton in America

Forton is the 32302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Forton surname appeared 713 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 Forton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Forton 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 Forton

The surname FORTON has its roots in the rural countryside of northern England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is believed to have originated as a place name, referring to a settlement or village near a ford or crossing point over a river or stream. The earliest known spelling of the name was Fortun, which appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

The name is derived from the Old English words "ford" and "tun," which together mean "a settlement or enclosure near a ford." This suggests that the earliest bearers of the FORTON name likely lived in a small village or hamlet situated near a river crossing, a strategic location for trade and travel in medieval times.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the FORTON name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a William de Fortun. This document provides evidence of the surname's existence in the 12th century and its association with the Yorkshire region.

As the name spread across England, variations in spelling emerged, including Fortone, Fortune, and Forton. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

Notable individuals with the FORTON surname throughout history include:

1. John Forton (c. 1350 - 1414), an English cleric who served as the Bishop of Bangor and the Bishop of Durham in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.

2. William Forton (c. 1480 - 1547), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Southwark in the Parliament of 1542-1544.

3. Elizabeth Forton (c. 1570 - 1647), an English landowner and philanthropist who founded a charitable school for poor children in the village of Forton, Lancashire.

4. Robert Forton (1624 - 1697), an English merchant and trader who established successful trading ventures with the American colonies, particularly in the Chesapeake Bay region.

5. Samuel Forton (1701 - 1776), a British military officer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several naval engagements during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

While the FORTON surname has its roots in northern England, it has since spread worldwide, carried by generations of emigrants and travelers. However, its origins remain firmly tied to the rural settlements and river crossings of medieval Britain, where the name first emerged as a marker of location and place.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Forton

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

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

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

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