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

Fuertes, 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 Fuertes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Fuertes in America

Fuertes is the 25003rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Fuertes surname appeared 994 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 Fuertes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Fuertes 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 Fuertes

The surname FUERTES originated from Spain, primarily in the regions of Castile and Aragon. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "fuerte," which means "strong" or "powerful." This suggests that the surname was likely given to individuals who possessed physical strength or a formidable character.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name FUERTES can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval Spanish manuscript from the 14th century. This document listed various noble families and their properties, indicating that the FUERTES lineage held a prominent position during that time.

In the 15th century, the FUERTES name appeared in the Carta Puebla de Iznatoraf, a historical document granting land rights to settlers in the town of Iznatoraf, located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. This suggests that the FUERTES family may have been among the early settlers in this region.

Notable individuals with the surname FUERTES throughout history include:

1. Juan Bautista Fuertes (1672-1737), a Spanish painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
2. Manuel Fuertes Acevedo (1813-1880), a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the interim president of Mexico for a brief period in 1855.
3. Esteban Fuertes (1838-1903), a Spanish-American civil engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable bridges and railroad projects in the United States.
4. Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927), an American ornithologist, illustrator, and artist renowned for his precise and lifelike bird illustrations.
5. Benito Fuertes (1896-1962), a Spanish painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from rural life in Spain.

The surname FUERTES has also been associated with various place names throughout Spain, particularly in the regions of Castile and Aragon. For example, the town of Fuertes in the province of Teruel, Aragon, likely derived its name from the FUERTES family that inhabited the area.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Fuertes

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

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

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

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