Fortner Family History

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Fortner Name Meaning

German: variant (also Förtner) or Americanized form of Pförtner, occupational name for the gatekeeper of a walled town or city, or the doorkeeper in a great house, castle, or monastery, Middle High German portenaere (from Latin porta ‘door’, ‘gate’). Compare English Porter.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Portner, Porter, Poertner, Portier, Bortner, Cortner, Ortner, Fortney

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Fortner Ethnicity Estimate

What are the common regions with the Fortner name?

These results combine data from everyone in the AncestryDNA® database with the last name Fortner. The Ancestry® ethnicity regions shown are top five most common on average for these people.

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  • England & Wales

    58%

  • Ireland & Scotland

    19%

  • Germanic Europe

    7%

  • Norway

    3%

  • Eastern Europe & Russia

    2%

Your own DNA-based ethnicity estimate will differ from what you see here. To get your personalized ethnicity estimate, order an AncestryDNA® kit.order an AncestryDNA® kit.

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Fortner Family Origin

Where is the Fortner family from?

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1840
    1920
    You can see how Fortner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Fortner family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Fortner families were found in the USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 22 Fortner families living in Indiana. This was about 19% of all the recorded Fortner's in the USA. Indiana had the highest population of Fortner families in 1840.
    Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Fortner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

    View Census Data for Fortner

    Fortner Family Occupations

    What did your Fortner ancestors do for a living?

    In 1880, a less common occupation for the Fortner family was Keeping House. Farmer, Laborer and Farming were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Fortner. The most common Fortner occupation in the USA was Farmer. 49% of Fortner's were Farmers.

    View Census data for Fortner | Data not to scale

    • Farmer

      49%

    • Laborer

      8%

    • Farming

      7%

    • Keeping House

      7%

    Census records can tell you a lot of little known facts about your Fortner ancestors, such as occupation. Occupation can tell you about your ancestor's social and economic status.

    Fortner Historical Records

    What Fortner family records will you find?

    Census Record

    There are 37,000 census records available for the last name Fortner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Fortner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

    Search 1940's US census records for Fortner

    Passenger List

    There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Fortner. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

    View all Fortner immigration records

    Draft Card

    There are 9,000 military records available for the last name Fortner. For the veterans among your Fortner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

    View all Fortner military records

    You've only scratched the surface of Fortner family history.

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    Fortner Life Expectancy

    What is the average Fortner lifespan?

    Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Fortner life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Fortner in 1943 was 42, and 75 in 2004.

    View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Fortner

    An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Fortner ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

    Famous Fortner Family Ancestors

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