Explore the Family Name Fuerte

The meaning of Fuerte

Spanish: nickname from fuerte ‘strong, brave’ (from Latin fortis). Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Jose, Gustavo, Luis, Pedro, Alberto, Elvira, Mario, Adolfo, Alfonso, Alfredo, Alicia, Alvaro.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Fuerte has seen a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Fuerte ranked at 16,688 in terms of surname prevalence, but by 2010, it had jumped to 12,744 - an upward change of 23.63%. The number of people with this surname also grew substantially during this period, from 1,579 to 2,422, marking a 53.39% rise. Consequently, the proportion of people named Fuerte per 100,000 increased by 38.98%, moving from 0.59 to 0.82.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#16,688	#12,744	23.63%
Count	1,579	2,422	53.39%
Proportion per 100k	0.59	0.82	38.98%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Fuerte

In terms of ethnic identity, the majority of individuals bearing the surname Fuerte identified as Hispanic, according to the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, 85.69% of Fuertes were of Hispanic ethnicity, and this percentage rose slightly to 87.65% in 2010. The second most common ethnic identity associated with Fuerte was Asian/Pacific Islander, although its representation dropped by 14.32% over the decade, reducing from 8.87% to 7.60%. People who identified as belonging to two or more races saw a growth of 30.83%, moving from 1.20% to 1.57%, while those identifying as white decreased by 18.18%, going from 3.74% to 3.06%. There were no individuals who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either census year.

	2000	2010	Change
Hispanic	85.69%	87.65%	2.29%
Asian/Pacific Islander	8.87%	7.6%	-14.32%
White	3.74%	3.06%	-18.18%
Two or More Races	1.2%	1.57%	30.83%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%