Wishlist
Menu
Cart
HouseofNames
Wishlist
Cart

Show ContentsFortune History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Product

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

4.9 Average Rating

Early Origins of the Fortune family

The surname Fortune was first found in East Lothian in Roxburghshire where they held a family seat from ancient times.

Early History of the Fortune family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fortune research. Another 107 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Fortune History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fortune Spelling Variations

The name Fortune, appeared in many references, and from time to time, the surname was spelt Fortune, Fortun and others.

Early Notables of the Fortune family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

  • John Fortune of Roxburghshire

Fortune Ranking

In the United States, the name Fortune is the 2,229th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Fortune is ranked the 3,274th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Fortune family to Ireland

Some of the Fortune family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

United States Fortune migration to the United States +

The New World beckoned as many of the settlers in Ireland, known as the Scotch/Irish, became disenchanted. They sailed aboard the armada of sailing ships known as the "White Sails" which plied the stormy Atlantic. Some called them, less romantically, the "coffin ships." Amongst the early settlers who could be considered kinsmen of the Fortune family, or who bore a variation of the surname Fortune were

Fortune Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Eleanor Fortune, who arrived in Maryland in 1662 3
  • john Fortune, who landed in Maryland in 1662 3
  • Robert Fortune, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 3
Fortune Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anthony Fortune who purchased land in Louisiana in 1721 and by the mid-1800's the Fortunes occupied territories in Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and San Francisco
  • Henry Fortune, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1730 3
  • Frantz Fortune, aged 26, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Malachi Fortune, aged 19, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • Michael Fortune, aged 22, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fortune Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Patrick Fortune, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 3
  • Martin Fortune, who landed in New York, NY in 1817 3
  • James Fortune was a chemist in Huntingdon in 1851
  • James Fortune, who landed in St Clair County in 1857 3
  • Thomas Fortune, who landed in St Clair County, Illinois in 1857 3

Canada Fortune migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fortune Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Fortune, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Mr. William Fortune U.E. who settled in Eastern District, Cornwall, Ontario c. 1784 4

Australia Fortune migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Fortune Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Andrew Fortune, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 8th April 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 5
  • Mr. William Fortune, (b. 1832), aged 20, English saddler who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dudbrook" on 17th November 1852, arriving in Western Australia 6

New Zealand Fortune migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Fortune Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • J. Fortune, British settler travelling from Liverpool aboard the ship "Tornado" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th September 1859 7
  • John Fortune, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ida Zeigler" in 1863
  • Alexander Fortune, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1865
  • Mary Fortune, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1865
  • Amelia Fortune, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Asterope" in 1865
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

West Indies Fortune migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8
Fortune Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Lewis Fortune, who landed in Jamaica in 1742 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Fortune (post 1700) +

  • Rose Fortune (1774-1864), American Black Loyalist and businesswoman, first female police officer in Canada
  • Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (1939-2018), American jazz saxophonist
  • Sonny Fortune (b. 1939), American jazz musician
  • Scott Thomas Fortune (b. 1966), American Olympic gold medalist volleyball player
  • Jimmy Fortune (b. 1955), American country music singer
  • Jesse Fortune (1930-2009), American Chicago blues singer
  • Peter Fortune, American educator and historian
  • George La Fortune, American politician, Representative from New York 33rd District, 1950 9
  • Jean Gabriel Fortuné (d. 2021), Haitian politician, who served as the mayor of Les Cayes and senator, National Palace advisor and departmental delegate
  • Graham Charles Fortune CNZM (1941-2016), New Zealand diplomat and public servant, New Zealand Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva (1987-1990)
  • ... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Pan Am Flight 103 (Lockerbie)
  • Robert Gerard Fortune (1948-1988), American Insurance Executive from Jackson Heights, New York, America, who flew aboard the Pan Am Flight 103 from Frankfurt to Detroit, known as the Lockerbie bombing in 1988 and died 10
RMS Titanic
  • Mrs. Mary Fortune, (née McDougald), aged 60, Canadian First Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 10 11
  • Miss Alice Elizabeth Fortune, aged 24, Canadian First Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 10 11
  • Miss Ethel Flora Fortune, aged 28, Canadian First Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 10 11
  • Miss Mabel Helen Fortune, aged 23, Canadian First Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping in life boat 10 11
  • Mr. Charles Alexander Fortune (d. 1912), aged 19, Canadian First Class passenger from Winnipeg, Manitoba who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 11
  • ... (Another 1 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Fortune Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Diltai deus
Motto Translation: God Enriches
  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dudbrook
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. Pan Am Flight 103's victims: A list of those killed 25 years ago | syracuse.com. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/12/pan_am_flight_103s_victims_a_list_of_those_killed_25_years_ago.html
  11. Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Houseofnames.com on Facebook