Show ContentsFortier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Noble surnames, such as Fortier, evoke images of the ancient homeland of the French people. The original bearer of the name Fortier, which is a local surname, once lived, held land, or was born in the beautiful île-de-France region. In France, hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules and during the late Middle Ages, names that were derived from localities became increasingly widespread. Local names originally denoted the proprietorship of the village or estate. The Fortier family originally derived its surname from the name of the place in île-de-France, where the family was found since the early Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Fortier family

The surname Fortier was first found in île-de-France where they held a family seat in the Seigneurie of de la Fortier in de Beauce from ancient times.

This distinguished family moved south to Languedoc where they were elevated to the nobility of France. The family contributed greatly to their King and country in the military field. Later they acquired estates in northern France. They flourished on their estates for many centuries, intermarrying with other distinguished families of the area.

Louis Fortier, born in 1647, travelled from France to Canada in the 17th century. After arriving in the Canadian province of Quebec he married Madeleine Moisan, daughter of Nicolas and Jeanne, at Lachine on 26th June 1679. [1]

Early History of the Fortier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fortier research. More information is included under the topic Early Fortier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fortier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Fortier, Fortiers, Fortyer, Forthier, Fortiais, Fortiaie, Fortiay, Fortyers, Fortyais, Forttier, Forttiers, Forttyer, Fortthier, Forttiais, Forttiaie, Forttiay, Forttyers, Forttyais, Fortiey and many more.

Early Notables of the Fortier family

Notable amongst the family was

  • Fortier of Ile-de-France

Fortier World Ranking

In the United States, the name Fortier is the 2,711st most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. [2] However, in Canada, the name Fortier is ranked the 188th most popular surname with an estimated 19,473 people with that name. [3] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Fortier is the 75th popular surname. [4] France ranks Fortier as 1,842nd with 3,334 people. [5]


United States Fortier migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fortier Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Claude Fortier, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 [6]
Fortier Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Clementine Fortier aged 17, who settled in New Orleans in 1822
  • A. Fortier who settled in San Francisco in 1850

Canada Fortier migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Fortier Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Catherine Fortier married in Trois-Rivières in 1657
  • Antoine Fortier married in Montreal in 1670
  • Antoine Fortier, son of Jean and Françoise, who married Madeleine Le Cavalier, daughter of Robert and Adriane, in Montreal, Quebec on 25th November 1670 [7]
  • Etienne Fortier married in Montreal in 1672
  • Etienne Fortier, son of Etienne and Judith, who married Marguerite Lauzon, daughter of Gilles and Marie, in Montreal, Quebec on 23rd November 1672 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fortier Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Jeanne Fortier who married Joseph Pilet in Quebec in 1700
  • Antoine Fortier, son of Etienne and Marguerite, who married Marie-Catherine Juillet, daughter of Charles and Catherine, in Montreal, Quebec on 3rd February 1706 [7]
  • Antoine Fortier, son of Antoine and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Noel, daughter of François and Nicole, in Saint-Laurent-de-lîle-d'Orléans, Quebec on 3rd February 1706 [7]
  • Michel Fortier, son of Antoine and Marie-Madeleine, who married Angélique Manseau, daughter if Jacques and Marguerite, in Saint-Laurent-de-lîle-d'Orléans, Quebec on 19th November 1708 [7]
  • Jean-Baptiste Fortier, son of Antoine and Marie-Madeleine, who married Madeleine Ruel, daughter of Clément and Marguerite, in Saint-Laurent, Quebec on 15th October 1708 [7]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Fortier Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Antoine Fortier who married Marie-Madeleine Cadieu in Quebec and had 1 daughter and 5 sons
  • Louis Fortier who married Madelaine Moyson in Quebec and had 6 daughters and 3 sons

Contemporary Notables of the name Fortier (post 1700) +

  • Brigadier-General Louis Joseph Fortier (1892-1974), American Member United Nations Military Staff Committee (1945-1946) [8]
  • Norman J. Fortier, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Army Air Forces, during World War II, credited with 5.83 aerial victories
  • Herbert Fortier (1867-1949), Canadian actor of the silent era
  • Louis Fortier OC OQ (1953-2020), Canadian biologist and oceanographer from Québec, Canada Research Chair on the Response of Arctic Marine Ecosystems to Climate Change at Laval University
  • Marianne Fortier (b. 1993), Canadian Genie nominated child actress
  • D'Iberville Fortier OC (1926-2006), Canadian diplomat, the third Commissioner of Official Languages (1984 to 1991)
  • Achille Fortier (1864-1939), Canadian composer and music educator
  • David Edward Fortier (b. 1951), Canadian former NHL ice hockey player
  • Marc Fortier (b. 1966), Canadian former NHL ice hockey centre
  • Michael M. Fortier (b. 1962), former Canadian Minister of International Trade and a former Conservative senator
  • ... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Grover Shoe factory
  • Mr. Alphonse Fortier, American employee of the Grover Shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on 20th March 1905 when the boiler exploded and collapsed the wooden building; he died [9]


The Fortier 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: Turris fortissima virtus
Motto Translation: Virtue is a tower of strength to me.


  1. Olivier, Reginald L. Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties. Logan: The Everton Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 368, 1972. Print
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  4. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. 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)
  7. Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
  8. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, February 29) Louis Fortier. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Fortier/Louis_Joseph/USA.html
  9. California Digital Newspaper from 21st March 1905 (retrieved on 5th August 2021.) Retrieved from https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19050321.2.19&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1


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