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Fortney Family History

Fortney Surname Meaning

Americanized form of French Fortineux itself a variant or an altered form of Fortineau a derivative of Fortin. This surname was brought to America from Germany.

Compare Fortna and Furtney. Americanized form of German Pförtner (see Fortner).

Americanized form of Norwegian Fortun.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Fortney family from?

You can see how Fortney families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fortney family name was found in the USA, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fortney families were found in USA in 1880. In 1871 there was 1 Fortney family living in Perthshire. This was 100% of all the recorded Fortney's in Scotland. Perthshire had the highest population of Fortney families in 1871.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fortney surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Fortney ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Fortney. 21% of Fortney men worked as a Laborer and 12% of Fortney women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Fortney were Truck Driver and Housework.

View Census Data for Fortney | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    21%
  • Farmer
    16%
  • Salesman
    7%
  • Truck Driver
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Housewife
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    10%
  • Teacher
    8%
  • Housework
    8%

What Fortney family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 18,000 census records available for the last name Fortney. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fortney census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Fortney

Passenger Lists

There are 571 immigration records available for the last name Fortney. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Fortney immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Fortney. For the veterans among your Fortney ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Fortney military records

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