Fortune Surname

10,463rd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 53,756 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
Haiti
Highest density in:
Grenada

Fortune Surname Definition:

From the lands of Fortune in East Lothian, now represented by East and Vest Fortune. John de Fortun was servant of the abbot of Kelso c. 1200 (Kelso, 148). Joce de Fortun witnessed confirmation by Nesus de Lundr of a mill in Lynton, in the reign of Alexander 11, 1233 (LSC.

Read More About This Surname

Fortune Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Haiti17,0651:62686
United States15,5721:23,2762,928
South Africa5,4431:9,9541,235
England2,7401:20,3352,883
Chad2,3111:5,882869
France1,8231:36,4364,476
Ireland1,3981:3,368604
Canada1,3731:26,8363,580
Ghana1,0391:26,0063,108
Trinidad and Tobago8031:1,699280
Australia5171:52,2166,443
Nigeria5121:345,98218,736
Scotland4431:12,0851,619
New Zealand3461:13,0882,276
Guyana2941:2,593475
Grenada2281:47689
Liberia2021:21,8242,157
Dominican Republic1311:79,6413,650
Swaziland1261:10,303513
DR Congo1231:600,64745,387
Wales1081:28,6532,938
India921:8,337,667172,929
Iran881:872,52942,309
Brazil871:2,460,62575,139
Botswana441:49,7039,263
Chile431:409,68511,039
Philippines421:2,410,434128,915
Saint Lucia391:4,584649
Belize381:9,3551,258
Barbados371:7,769684
Thailand351:2,018,238239,646
Suriname321:17,2694,028
Argentina311:1,378,82078,351
Switzerland311:264,93321,684
Indonesia281:4,723,186228,527
Northern Ireland261:70,9635,105
Sierra Leone251:283,585406
Venezuela251:1,208,16317,203
China241:56,971,7323,099
Netherlands221:767,59958,330
Germany211:3,833,593163,016
Singapore211:262,27211,611
Kenya201:2,308,99536,653
Jersey171:5,8351,193
Zimbabwe151:1,029,21663,831
Cameroon131:1,597,62187,539
Panama131:300,9437,078
Hong Kong121:611,2903,500
Uganda121:3,253,27385,117
Ukraine121:3,793,558197,857
Belgium101:1,149,66482,403
Cuba101:1,152,2726,837
Antigua and Barbuda91:11,0191,084
Bangladesh91:17,706,30813,537
Ethiopia91:10,838,47414,518
Mozambique91:3,029,0632,946
Rwanda91:1,262,7752,632
Malaysia81:3,686,778134,908
Turks and Caicos Islands81:4,291379
Dominica61:12,648426
Colombia51:9,554,81425,159
Italy51:12,231,338126,430
Japan51:25,568,85950,629
Poland51:7,601,750167,855
Spain51:9,350,407109,555
Benin41:2,583,90073,293
Denmark41:1,411,17960,800
Egypt41:22,983,93862,368
Gabon41:472,2983,618
Malawi41:4,279,77724,060
Namibia41:602,35012,421
Norway41:1,285,57269,185
Cambodia31:5,162,38210,688
Congo31:1,663,03227,638
Costa Rica31:1,593,3568,177
Israel31:2,852,545113,505
Mauritius31:431,13912,721
Pakistan31:59,547,962132,569
Sweden31:3,282,252190,759
Tanzania31:17,647,204107,932
Afghanistan21:16,076,59243,178
Bahamas21:195,8761,708
British Virgin Islands21:15,797839
Ecuador21:7,952,92334,269
Ivory Coast21:11,535,61661,806
South Korea21:25,620,1284,175
Taiwan21:11,722,37363,559
United Arab Emirates21:4,581,13693,443
Uruguay21:1,715,87935,955
Vietnam21:46,323,0275,235
Zambia21:7,924,96145,994
Albania11:2,914,05529,474
Andorra11:83,8382,381
Austria11:8,515,435118,036
Burundi11:9,804,8522,349
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Central African Republic11:4,515,3901,196
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Djibouti11:914,9321,612
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Greece11:11,079,790145,225
Guam11:160,1214,893
Iceland11:380,09011,096
Jamaica11:2,869,94713,896
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Kuwait11:3,800,69427,187
Madagascar11:23,649,8379,420
Mexico11:124,126,205103,776
Morocco11:34,476,099111,471
Niger11:19,192,017110,060
Portugal11:10,418,24125,048
Puerto Rico11:3,550,1399,109
Qatar11:2,357,99976,403
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines11:112,6591,704
Senegal11:14,579,34211,705
Togo11:7,247,76812,049
Turkey11:77,821,422191,047
United States Virgin Islands11:110,3756,934
Uzbekistan11:30,929,14267,786
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland8441:5,249879
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England9321:26,1543,589
Scotland5541:6,757967
Wales761:20,6371,193
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States2,5061:20,0392,531

The alternate forms: Fortuné (215), Fortunè (1), Fortüne (1) & Förtüne (1) are calculated separately.

Fortune (52,941) may also be a first name.

Fortune Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

From the lands of Fortune in East Lothian, now represented by East and Vest Fortune. John de Fortun was servant of the abbot of Kelso c. 1200 (Kelso, 148). Joce de Fortun witnessed confirmation by Nesus de Lundr of a mill in Lynton, in the reign of Alexander 11, 1233 (LSC., p. 51). John de Fortone was one of the Scots prisoners in the Tower of London in 1297 (Bain, II, 960). A later John Forton witnessed a retour of special service in 1495 (Home, p. 27), and Thomas Fortoun was sailor and burgess of Edinburgh in 1634 (Inquis. Tut., 504). Robert Fortune (1813—1880), the distinguished botanist and traveller in China, was born in Berwickshire. The surname is not uncommon in the Lothians and in Fife.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(Anglo-French-Latin) [French fortune; Latin fortuna, luck, chance]

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

Ó Foirtcheirn Almost peculiar to Co. Wexford. Occasionally a synonym of Farshing in Co. Cork, q.v. MIF 110; Map Carl-Wex

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

Ó Foirtcheirn Almost peculiar to Co. Wexford. Occasionally a synonym of Farshing in Co. Cork, q.v. MIF 110; Map Carl-Wex

A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English, Scottish) The fortunate or lucky person; one who came from the lands of Fortune, in East Lothian.

Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

A place in Haddingtonshire.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

1. From Fortunatua. 2. From Fortune co. Haddington.

Ludus Patronymicus (1868) by Richard Stephen Charnock

Fortune Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Fortune Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Fortune is borne by more people in Haiti than any other country/territory. It can also appear in the variant forms: Fortuné, Fortunè, Fortüne or Förtüne. For other possible spellings of this surname click here.

How Common Is The Last Name Fortune? popularity and diffusion

It is the 10,463rd most commonly held surname throughout the world, held by approximately 1 in 135,567 people. It is mostly found in The Americas, where 67 percent of Fortune live; 35 percent live in Caribbean and 32 percent live in Gallo-Caribbean. Fortune is also the 17,636th most widespread given name on earth It is held by 52,941 people.

The surname Fortune is most widespread in Haiti, where it is carried by 17,065 people, or 1 in 626. In Haiti it is mostly concentrated in: Ouest, where 35 percent reside, Sud, where 32 percent reside and Artibonite, where 13 percent reside. Apart from Haiti it exists in 118 countries. It is also found in The United States, where 29 percent reside and South Africa, where 10 percent reside.

Fortune Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The prevalency of Fortune has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people bearing the Fortune surname increased 621 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 294 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it increased 166 percent between 1901 and 2014; in Scotland it declined 20 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in Wales it increased 142 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Fortune Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those carrying the Fortune last name is primarily Catholic (97%) in Ireland and Christian (100%) in Kenya.

In The United States those holding the Fortune surname are 7.43% more likely to be registered with the Republican Party than The US average, with 54.2% registered to vote for the party.

The amount Fortune earn in different countries varies notably. In South Africa they earn 9.8% more than the national average, earning R 260,928 per year; in Colombia they earn 15.19% more than the national average, earning $26,150,700 COP per year; in United States they earn 3.75% less than the national average, earning $41,532 USD per year and in Canada they earn 8.61% less than the national average, earning $45,406 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Search for Another Surname

Fortune Reference & Research

Fortune FamilyTree DNA Group - A group collating DNA test results for those who bear the surname, includes results of DNA tests and discussions.

Fortune FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Fortune
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis