2000
#3,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,016
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.08
Uncommon Last name
Fortune
An English surname derived from the Old French word "fortune," meaning chance, luck, or prosperity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,164 Americans carry the last name Fortune. That puts it at #3,055 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fortune 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Fortune with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,037
Census rank
#3,055
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,480 bearers of the surname Fortune in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3055th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortune, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fortune
The surname Fortune has its origins in Anglo-Norman French and is derived from the word 'fortun', meaning luck or chance. It is believed to have originated in England during the 12th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name was likely initially used as a nickname for someone who was considered fortunate or lucky.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Fortune can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mention a Robert Fortune. Another early record is from the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1284, where a William Fortune is mentioned.
The name Fortune is also found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census-like record of landowners in England during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that the name was already well-established by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname Fortune appears in various records, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Fortune is mentioned in 1317. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also include a reference to a Thomas Fortune.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Fortune was Sir John Fortune, a prominent English soldier and landowner who lived during the 15th century. He served as a member of the household of King Henry VI and was granted lands in Buckinghamshire.
Another notable figure with the surname Fortune was Sir Andrew Fortune, a Scottish merchant and diplomat who lived in the 16th century. He was born around 1537 and served as the Scottish Ambassador to France and Denmark.
In the 17th century, the surname Fortune appears in various parish records and court documents across England. One example is George Fortune, a merchant from London who was involved in the Virginia Company, which established the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown in 1607.
During the 18th century, the surname Fortune was found in various parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable bearer of the name was Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist and plant hunter who lived from 1812 to 1880. He is credited with introducing numerous plant species from China to the West, including the tea plant Camellia sinensis.
Another well-known figure with the surname Fortune was Malcolm Fortune, a Scottish author and historian who lived from 1834 to 1900. He wrote extensively on Scottish history and culture, including works such as "The Scots in France" and "The Scots of Gascony".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fortune
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortune, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Fortune 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 Fortune surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.6% · 6,149
- Black or African American36.7% · 4,210
- Two or more races4.5% · 521
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 410
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 90
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fortune
Fortune 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
#3,051
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,748
+732 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 3.98
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#3,055
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,480
-268 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.84
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,018 | 11,016 | 4.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,051 | 11,748 | 3.98 | +732 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #3,055 | 11,480 | 3.84 | -268 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 4 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 Fortune 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 | #3,051 | #3,055 | -0.1% |
| Count | 11,748 | 11,480 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.98 | 3.84 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fortune bearers went from 11,748 to 11,480 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,051 to #3,055.
FAQ
Fortune surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fortune?
Name Census estimates that about 13,164 living Americans carry the surname Fortune. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,037 residents.
How common is Fortune?
Fortune ranks #3,055 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,480 people with the surname Fortune. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Fortune.
Has Fortune become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fortune went from 11,748 recorded bearers to 11,480. That is a decrease of 268 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,051 to #3,055.
What does the Census say about the background of Fortune?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fortune, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Fortune in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.6% (6,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fortune appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.6%), Black (36.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Fortune (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 Fortune mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "fortune," meaning chance, luck, or prosperity. 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 Fortune (3.84 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 Fortune?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Fortune at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.