Fortuna
A surname from the word for “luck” or “fortune,” often taken from a house sign, house name, or emblem of good fortune.
The #9,064 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,620 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The name comes from Latin fortuna, meaning “fortune,” “luck,” or “chance.” In surname use, it was often attached to a house sign or house name, especially in areas where buildings were identified by signs such as “the Fortune.” The Dutch excerpt also suggests that this kind of sign-based naming helped make Fortuin/Fortuna a hereditary surname.
History
The sources point especially to a sign-name or house-name origin rather than to a personal nickname. The surname appears in Dutch forms such as Fortuin and 't Fortuin, and related Romance-language forms are also natural from the same word. In English-speaking records, Fortuna is less common and may also reflect immigrant spelling or adaptation.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Fortuna was not just a surname root: in older European naming, a house called “the Fortune” could eventually give its occupants a family name.
From the historical record
“excelencia. Auje. Grande elevacion en dignidad o fortuna. Avalos. El movimiento leve, 1 tambien significa el tem- blor de tierra. Avara. Avarienta. Tambien se suele tomar en buena”
— Diccionario de los apellidos