Explore the Family Name Fontenette

The meaning of Fontenette

French: topographic name from a diminutive of Old French fontaine ‘spring, well’ (see Fontaine), or a habitational name from Fontenette, the name of several places mainly in the central part of France, of the same origin.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Fontenette in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Fontenette has seen a slight increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked as the 28,460th most popular surname, but by 2010, it had moved up to the 27,950th position, marking a 1.79% change. The number of people carrying this surname also increased from 789 to 858 within the same period, representing an 8.75% rise. However, the proportion per 100k remained consistent at 0.29.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#28,460	#27,950	1.79%
Count	789	858	8.75%
Proportion per 100k	0.29	0.29	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fontenette

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that those bearing the Fontenette surname identify predominantly with African-American heritage. In 2000, 88.21% identified as Black, with a slight decrease to 84.38% by 2010. There was a significant growth in those identifying as Hispanic, from 1.39% in 2000 to 3.50% in 2010, which signifies a 151.80% increase. The percentage of individuals identifying as White also grew from 6.46% to 8.28%, a 28.17% change. Those identifying with two or more races experienced a minor decrease from 3.68% to 3.61%. No individuals reported being of Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native descent in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	88.21%	84.38%	-4.34%
White	6.46%	8.28%	28.17%
Two or More Races	3.68%	3.61%	-1.9%
Hispanic	1.39%	3.5%	151.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%