2000
#7,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,079
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.51
Rare Last name
Fortson
Derived from a place name meaning "ford town" or "settlement by the ford."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,579 Americans carry the last name Fortson. That puts it at #7,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fortson 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
4.6K
1 in 74,854
Census rank
#7,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,993 bearers of the surname Fortson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fortson
The surname Fortson has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "fort" and "sunu," meaning "fort son" or "son of the fort." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near or was associated with a fortified structure or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Fortson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Willelmus Fortesun is mentioned. The name was also present in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a Robert Fortsun.
In the 14th century, the name appeared as "Fortson" in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1328, where a John Fortson is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name had become more standardized by this time.
During the medieval period, the Fortson family was based primarily in the counties of Lincolnshire, Oxfordshire, and Essex. However, over time, the name spread to other parts of England, and several notable individuals emerged.
One such individual was Sir John Fortson (c. 1540-1610), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Buckingham during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another notable figure was William Fortson (1617-1684), a clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Sutton Mandeville in Wiltshire.
In the 18th century, the Fortson family gained prominence in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Richard Fortson (c. 1710-1780), a planter and landowner in Georgia. He was instrumental in the establishment of Wilkes County and served as a member of the Georgia Provincial Congress.
Another notable figure from this period was John Fortson (1741-1824), a soldier and pioneer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He later settled in Tennessee and became one of the founders of Bledsoe County.
As the Fortson family continued to expand and migrate, they left their mark in various parts of the United States. One such individual was William B. Fortson (1822-1899), a prominent lawyer and politician from Georgia who served as a judge and played a significant role in the state's legal system.
While the surname Fortson is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with notable individuals who have contributed to various fields, including law, politics, religion, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortson
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Fortson 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 Fortson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.8% · 2,027
- White40.4% · 1,614
- Two or more races4.8% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fortson
Fortson 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
#7,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,273
+194 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 1.45
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#7,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,993
-280 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,522 | 4,079 | 1.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,765 | 4,273 | 1.45 | +194 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #7,955 | 3,993 | 1.34 | -280 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 190 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 Fortson 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 | #7,765 | #7,955 | -2.4% |
| Count | 4,273 | 3,993 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.45 | 1.34 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fortson bearers went from 4,273 to 3,993 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 190 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,765 to #7,955.
FAQ
Fortson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fortson?
Name Census estimates that about 4,579 living Americans carry the surname Fortson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,854 residents.
How common is Fortson?
Fortson ranks #7,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 3,993 people with the surname Fortson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,579), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Fortson.
Has Fortson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fortson went from 4,273 recorded bearers to 3,993. That is a decrease of 280 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,765 to #7,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Fortson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortson, the largest self-reported group is Black at 50.8%. The next largest groups are White (40.4%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fortson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.8% (2,027 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fortson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (50.8%), White (40.4%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Fortson (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 Fortson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "ford town" or "settlement by the ford." 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 Fortson (1.34 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 Fortson?
See how many people have the last name Fortson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.