Overturf last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Overturf is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Overturf.

Meaning of Overturf

Derived from a place name meaning "over the turf," referring to someone who lived beyond a grassy area.

Overturf, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Overturf surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Overturf in America

Overturf is the 13707th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Overturf surname appeared 2,208 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Overturf.

We can also compare 2010 data for Overturf to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 13707 12753 7.21%
Count 2,208 2,221 -0.59%
Proportion per 100k 0.75 0.82 -8.92%

The history of the last name Overturf

The surname Overturf originated in Germany, likely in the late 16th or early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "über" meaning "over" and "turf" meaning "turf" or "peat," referring to someone who lived near or worked with peat or turf.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Overturf can be found in the parish records of Dortmund, Germany, from the early 1600s. It is possible that the name was initially a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near a peat bog or worked as a peat cutter.

In the 18th century, the name began to appear in various parts of Germany, including the regions of Westphalia, Rhineland, and Saxony. It is likely that the name spread as families migrated or relocated for economic or religious reasons.

One notable individual with the surname Overturf was Johann Overturf, a merchant who lived in Cologne in the late 17th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the trade of textiles and other goods throughout the Rhineland region.

Another early bearer of the name was Matthias Overturf, a farmer who lived in the village of Wuppertal in the early 1700s. His name appears in local land records and tax rolls from that time period.

In the 19th century, the name Overturf began to appear in other parts of Europe and North America as German immigrants settled in new lands. One such individual was Wilhelm Overturf, who was born in Bavaria in 1832 and later emigrated to the United States, settling in Ohio.

Another notable figure was Hans Overturf, a German-American artist born in 1860 in Düsseldorf, Germany. He is known for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the American West, where he lived and worked for several years.

Lastly, Maximilian Overturf, a German-born engineer and inventor, obtained several patents for his innovations in the field of machinery and manufacturing in the late 19th century. He lived in Berlin and his inventions were widely used in various industrial sectors across Germany.

While the surname Overturf may not be as common as some others, it has a rich history that can be traced back to its German roots and the various individuals who have borne this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Overturf

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Overturf.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Overturf was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.84% 2,072
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.54% 34
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.99% 44
Hispanic Origin 2.13% 47

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Overturf has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.84% 94.87% -1.09%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.54% 1.53% 0.65%
Two or More Races 1.99% 1.44% 32.07%
Hispanic 2.13% 1.53% 32.79%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Overturf was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Overturf, please contact us.

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"Overturf last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/overturf-surname-popularity/.

"Overturf last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/overturf-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Overturf last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/overturf-surname-popularity/.

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