Turney
A masculine given name derived from the Middle English word "tournai", meaning "to turn, go around".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Turney. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Turney today is around 76 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Turney births was 1917 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Turney. 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 Turney is about 76 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Turneys were born before 1960.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Turney. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1917
6 babies that year
Average age
76
years old
1961 SSA rank
#4,622
Tracked since 1917
Popularity
Turney: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Turney from the 1910s through to the 1960s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 11 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Turney remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Turney 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 Turney during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Turney
The given name Turney is an English name that has its roots in Old French and Medieval Latin languages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "tornez," which means "to turn" or "to twist." This, in turn, can be traced back to the Medieval Latin word "tornare," which has a similar meaning.
In the Middle Ages, the name Turney was likely used as a surname for individuals who worked as turners or lathe operators, crafting wooden objects by turning them on a lathe. Over time, this occupational surname transitioned into being used as a given name, particularly in England and other parts of the British Isles.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turney can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as a surname in several entries, indicating its use at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Turney. One such person was Turney Stevens (1835-1903), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania from 1893 to 1895.
Another prominent figure with the name Turney was Edmund Turney (1835-1923), an American lawyer and politician. He served as the Attorney General of Tennessee from 1893 to 1897 and later as a justice on the Supreme Court of Tennessee from 1904 to 1918.
In the literary realm, Turney W. Allen (1898-1984) was a British classical scholar and academic. He is renowned for his translations of ancient Greek texts, particularly the works of Euripides.
Turney Edmund Leonard (1786-1864) was an Irish-born Australian explorer and surveyor. He is credited with leading several expeditions into the interior of New South Wales and mapping significant portions of the region.
Another notable figure was Turney Wilfred Scudder (1865-1933), an American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the investment banking firm Scudder, Stevens & Clark and was a prominent supporter of educational institutions, including Wesleyan University and Williams College.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Turney throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence and legacy across various fields and cultures.
People
Turney + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Turney 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
Turney: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Turney?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Turney 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 Turney a common name?
We classify Turney 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, 22 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Turney most popular?
The single biggest year for Turney was 1917, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Turney is about 76 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 Turney in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Turney a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Turney 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 Turney still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Turney 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 Turney 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 have the name Turney?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Turney, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.