Turbo
A variant of the Latin turbo, meaning whirlwind or spinning motion.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Turbo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Turbo today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Turbo births was 2020 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Turbo. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Turbo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2020
6 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2020 SSA rank
#11,898
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Turbo: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Turbo by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Turbo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Turbo
The name Turbo is a modern invention, likely originating in the 20th century. It is not derived from any particular language or culture, but rather from the English word "turbo," which refers to a type of supercharger used in engines to increase power and efficiency.
The earliest recorded use of Turbo as a given name is relatively recent, with no known historical references or appearances in ancient texts or religious scriptures. It is a name that emerged in the latter half of the 20th century, likely inspired by the growing popularity of turbochargers in automotive and aviation industries.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Turbo was Turbo the Snapping Turtle, a character from the 1980s animated series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." While not a human, this character's name helped popularize the use of Turbo as a given name.
The first known person to be named Turbo was Turbo Gilbertson, born in 1981 in the United States. Gilbertson was a race car driver and mechanic who embraced the name as a reflection of his passion for high-performance vehicles.
Another notable individual with the name Turbo was Turbo Tanner, a professional skateboarder born in 1985 in the United States. Tanner's real name was Brandon, but he adopted the nickname "Turbo" due to his lightning-fast skating style.
In the world of music, Turbo Lover was the stage name of a Swedish singer and songwriter born in 1987. His real name was Erik Johansson, but he chose the moniker Turbo Lover as a nod to the classic Judas Priest song "Turbo Lover."
Finally, Turbo Jones was the nickname of a professional basketball player born in 1990 in the United States. His given name was Michael Jones, but he earned the nickname "Turbo" for his explosive speed and quickness on the court.
While the name Turbo is a relatively modern creation, it has gained some popularity in recent decades, particularly among those with an interest in high-performance vehicles, extreme sports, and other adrenaline-fueled pursuits.
People
Turbo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Turbo as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with T
Other first names starting with T with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Turbo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Turbo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Turbo going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Turbo a common name?
We classify Turbo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Turbo most popular?
The single biggest year for Turbo was 2020, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Turbo is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Turbo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Turbo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Turbo in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Turbo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Turbo in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Turbo can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Turbo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.