Explore the Family Name Fortman

The meaning of Fortman

1. Americanized form of German Fortmann. 2. English: nickname from Old French fort ‘strong’ + mains ‘hands’. 3. English: variant of Fortnam, a nickname from Old French fort ‘strong’ + anon ‘young ass’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Fortman experienced a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. Ranking at 18,755 in 2000 and dropping to 20,541 in 2010, it saw a percentage change of around -9.52%. The number of individuals holding the surname also fell from 1,352 in 2000 to 1,291 in 2010, reflecting a -4.51% change. In terms of proportion per 100k people, there was a decline from 0.5 in 2000 to 0.44 in 2010, marking a -12% shift.

20002010Change
Rank#18,755#20,541-9.52%
Count1,3521,291-4.51%
Proportion per 100k0.50.44-12%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fortman

When it comes to ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that majority of people with the Fortman surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, with a slight increase from 92.9% to 93.96%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Hispanic showed a growth of 10.32%, albeit small, increasing from 1.26% to 1.39%. The count of those recognizing themselves as belonging to two or more races also rose slightly from 0.96% to 1.01%. Conversely, the Black community within the Fortman surname decreased by -23.62%, going down from 4.36% to 3.33%. There were no recorded individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native descent in either census year.

20002010Change
White92.9%93.96%1.14%
Black4.36%3.33%-23.62%
Hispanic1.26%1.39%10.32%
Two or More Races0.96%1.01%5.21%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%