Fortunas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• Germany
• Italy

Etymology of Fortunas

From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Fortunas family. During the Middle Ages, as populations grew and travel between regions became more frequent, the people of Tuscany found it necessary to adopt a second name to identify themselves and their families. The process of adopting fixed hereditary surnames was not complete until the modern era, but the use of hereditary family names in Italy began in the 10th and 11th centuries. Italian hereditary surnames were developed according to fairly general principles and they were characterized by a profusion of derivatives coined from given names. Although the most common type of family name found in Tuscany is the patronymic surname, which is derived from the father's given name, the nickname type of surname is also frequently found. Nickname surnames were derived from an eke-name, or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The surname Fortunas is a name for a person of happy nature, good fortune and favorable destiny. This surname is derived from the Latin personal name Fortunatus, which means happy, chance, or luck. The Latin name was fashionable among early Christians, chosen to illustrate their joy in the faith. It was borne by a large number of early saints, which further increased its popularity as a given name in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Fortunas family

Early History of the Fortunas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fortunas research. The year 1746 is included under the topic Early Fortunas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fortunas Spelling Variations

Italian surnames come in far more variations than the names of most other nationalities. Regional traditions and dialects are a decisive factor in this characteristic. For example, northern names tend to end in "o", while southern in "i". Also important, but not unique to Italy, was the fact that before dictionaries and the printing press most scribes simply spelled words according to their sounds. The predictable result was an enormous number of spelling variations. The recorded spellings of Fortunas include Fortuna, Fortuni, Infortuna, Fortunio, Fortugno, Fortunato, Fortunati and many more.

Early Notables of the Fortunas family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fortunas Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Fortunas family

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Fortunas were found: J. Fortune, who settled in San Francisco in 1852; M Fortuna, aged 23, landed in New Orleans, La in 1831; Peter Fortuna, who arrived in Savanna(h), Ga in 1856.