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

Fortún, 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 Fortún surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fortún in America

Fortún is the 65244th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fortún surname appeared 304 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 Fortún.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fortún 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 Fortún

The surname Fortun is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "fortuna," which means "luck" or "fortune." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered fortunate or lucky.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fortun can be found in the Catalan region of Spain during the 12th century. In a document dated 1167, a man named Bernat Fortun is mentioned as a landowner in the town of Girona.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the Kingdom of Aragon, which included parts of modern-day Spain, France, and Italy. For example, a merchant named Guillem Fortun is mentioned in a trade agreement between Aragon and the Republic of Venice in 1277.

During the Reconquista, the period when Christian kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula sought to reclaim territories from the Moors, several military leaders bore the surname Fortun. One notable figure was Pedro Fortun, a knight who fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Fortun spread to other regions of Europe and the Americas. In 1521, a conquistador named Juan Fortun accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico.

Other notable individuals with the surname Fortun include:

1. Miguel Fortun (1635-1699), a Spanish composer and organist active in Seville during the Baroque era.
2. Mariano Fortun (1778-1852), a Spanish military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against the French.
3. Juana Fortun (1888-1964), a Spanish author best known for her children's book series featuring the character Celia.
4. Pablo Fortun (1908-1977), a Chilean painter and sculptor associated with the Surrealist movement.
5. Luis Fortun (born 1949), a Spanish-born American architect known for his work on sustainable and eco-friendly buildings.

While the surname Fortun is most prevalent in Spain and Latin America, it can also be found in other parts of the world due to migration and historical events.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fortún

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

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

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

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