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

Fortunato, 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 Fortunato surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fortunato in America

Fortunato is the 8201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fortunato surname appeared 4,047 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Fortunato.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fortunato 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 Fortunato

The surname Fortunato is of Italian origin, deriving from the Latin adjective "fortunatus" meaning "lucky" or "blessed." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or a descriptive surname during the Middle Ages in Italy.

The earliest known records of the Fortunato surname can be found in various Italian historical documents and records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval charters from the Campania region, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Campania, Lazio, and Calabria.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Fortunato surname was Fortunato Guidi, a Florentine nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the political and military affairs of the time and played a crucial role in the conflicts between the Guelphs and Ghibellines in Florence.

Another notable individual with the Fortunato surname was Giovanni Fortunato, a 15th-century Italian humanist and scholar from Naples. He was widely respected for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his translation of various ancient Greek and Latin texts.

During the Renaissance period, the Fortunato family gained prominence in the city of Naples. One of its members, Girolamo Fortunato, was a renowned architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings and structures in the city, including the Palazzo Reale di Napoli.

In the 17th century, Francesco Fortunato was a celebrated painter from Calabria, known for his religious works and frescoes adorning churches throughout southern Italy. His masterpiece, "The Assumption of the Virgin," can be found in the Cathedral of Reggio Calabria.

Another figure of note was Giuseppe Fortunato, an Italian politician and historian from Basilicata who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a prominent advocate for the rights of peasants and played a significant role in the discussion of the "Southern Question" in Italy.

The Fortunato surname has also been found in various other regions of Italy, including Sardinia and Sicily, as well as in other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with significant Italian immigration, such as Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fortunato

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

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

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

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