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Show ContentsFortune History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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From the historical and enchanting Italian region of Tuscany emerged a multitude of noble families, including the distinguished Fortune 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 Fortune 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 Fortune family

The surname Fortune was first found in the town of Volterra where Gianfranco Fortunio was a humanist and grammarian. He is famous for his work on Italian grammar and many of his theories and methods are used today by grammarians.

Early History of the Fortune family

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

Fortune Spelling Variations

Enormous variation in spelling and form characterizes those Italian names that originated in the medieval era. This is caused by two main factors: regional tradition, and inaccuracies in the recording process. Before the last few hundred years, scribes spelled names according to their sounds. Spelling variations were the unsurprising result. The variations of Fortune include Fortuna, Fortuni, Infortuna, Fortunio, Fortugno, Fortunato, Fortunati and many more.

Early Notables of the Fortune family

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

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

United States Fortune migration to the United States +

Discovered in the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Fortune:

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.)
  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
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