Turley
A variant of the given name Thurl derived from an Old English surname.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Turley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Turley today is around 67 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Turley births was 1955 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Turley. 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
- • The typical person named Turley is about 67 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Turleys were born before 1969.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Turley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1955
5 babies that year
Average age
67
years old
1955 SSA rank
#4,358
Tracked since 1955
Popularity
Turley: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Turley 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 Turley during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Turley
The name Turley is an English given name derived from the Old English word "tur," which means "tower" or "fortified place." The name likely originated in the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century, when it was common for people to be named after distinctive landmarks or features in their local area.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Turley can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Turlai" and "Turlay," and is often associated with individuals living near or working in fortified structures or towers.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Turley. One of the earliest known figures was Turley de Preaux, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Another early bearer of the name was Turley de Beaumont, a 12th-century nobleman and landowner in Leicestershire, England.
In the 13th century, Turley de Montfort was a prominent English knight and military commander who fought in the Barons' War against King Henry III. He was captured at the Battle of Evesham in 1265 and subsequently executed.
During the Renaissance period, Turley Bancroft (1544-1610) was an influential English theologian and Archbishop of Canterbury from 1604 to 1610. He was known for his efforts to reconcile the Church of England with the Puritan movement.
In the 19th century, Turley Stevenson (1810-1892) was a Scottish civil engineer and inventor who played a significant role in the development of early steam locomotives and railway infrastructure in Britain.
While the name Turley has its roots in Old English, it has maintained a presence throughout various periods of history, with notable individuals bearing this name across different fields and regions.
People
Turley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Turley 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
Turley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Turley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Turley 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Turley a common name?
We classify Turley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Turley most popular?
The single biggest year for Turley was 1955, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Turley is about 67 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 Turley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Turley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Turley 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 Turley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Turley 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 Turley 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 are called Turley?
You can see how many people share the name Turley on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.