Fortune
A surname that usually comes from a place name, especially the place called Fortune in Haddingtonshire, Scotland.
The #3,051 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 26,281 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest historical evidence here points to a locational surname from the place called Fortune in Haddingtonshire, Scotland. The place-name itself ultimately reflects the older word fortune, from Latin fortuna via Old French, meaning 'chance,' 'luck,' or 'good fortune.' In surname use, the name would originally have identified someone who came from that place rather than describing personal luck.
History
Nineteenth-century surname writers also noted that 'Fortune' could occasionally look like a descriptive nickname or a hopeful house-name, but they treated the Scottish place-name as the main explanation. The surname is found in Britain and later in other English-speaking countries, including the United States. Like many locational surnames, it has kept a relatively straightforward spelling and meaning over time.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
John C. P. Fortescue was not a Fortune, but Bardsley used 'More Fortune' as an example of how unusual surname combinations could survive in records.
From the historical record
“match. See Eng. Surn. i. 109. FORTUNE. A place in Haddington- shire. FORTY. FORTYMAX. Forty is used by the Scot, poet Douglas, in the sense of brave. Fr. foH. Hence these names probably refer to the courage of their original owners, FORAYARD. May refer to disposition, but is more probably i\\e fove-nard, or guard —…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom