2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Fourtner
A locational surname denoting someone from a fortified place or stronghold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Fourtner. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fourtner 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Fourtner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fourtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fourtner
The surname Fourtner is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the southern regions near Bavaria and Austria. It is thought to have derived from the German word "forst," which means forest, or "förster," meaning forester or forest warden. The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages when many surnames were occupational in nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fourtner name appears in a document from the town of Regensburg, Bavaria, dated 1438, referring to a Hans Fourtner. This suggests the name had already been established in that region by the 15th century. There are also records of variations like Forstner and Förster from around the same time period.
The Fourtner surname can be traced back to various locations in southern Germany, including villages and towns with names containing elements related to forests, such as Forst, Forstenried, and Forstenrieder. This further supports the theory that the name originated from occupations related to forestry or forest maintenance.
A notable individual with the Fourtner surname was Johann Fourtner (1518-1587), a German cartographer and mathematician who worked in the service of the Bavarian court. He is known for creating detailed maps of Bavaria and contributing to the development of cartography in the region.
Another historical figure was Christoph Fourtner (1570-1643), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince-Bishops of Bamberg. He composed several religious works and was renowned for his organ playing.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Fourtner family settled in the town of Kirchheim unter Teck in southern Germany. Records show that a Johann Georg Fourtner (1632-1701) was a prominent citizen and landowner in the area.
During the 18th century, the name appears in various church records and documents across southern Germany, including references to individuals such as Maria Anna Fourtner (1712-1784) from Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, and Johann Michael Fourtner (1745-1819) from Regensburg.
Throughout the 19th century, as migration patterns increased, the Fourtner surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with some individuals eventually settling in North America and other regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fourtner
Among Census respondents with the surname Fourtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Fourtner 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 Fourtner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 105
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fourtner
Fourtner 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+19 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,315 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-18 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,746 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 9,315 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 16,746 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 Fourtner 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 | #135,593 | #152,339 | -12.4% |
| Count | 124 | 106 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fourtner bearers went from 124 to 106 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 16,746 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #152,339.
FAQ
Fourtner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fourtner?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Fourtner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Fourtner?
Fourtner ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Fourtner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Fourtner.
Has Fourtner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fourtner went from 124 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 18 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Fourtner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fourtner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fourtner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fourtner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Fourtner (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 Fourtner mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from a fortified place or stronghold. 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 Fourtner (0.04 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 many people have the last name Fourtner?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Fourtner, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.