2000
#12,753
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,221
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Overturf
Derived from a place name meaning "over the turf," referring to someone who lived beyond a grassy area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,425 Americans carry the last name Overturf. That puts it at #13,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,342 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Overturf surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,342
Census rank
#13,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,115 bearers of the surname Overturf in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Overturf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Overturf
Among Census respondents with the surname Overturf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Overturf bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Overturf surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,931
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 76
- Two or more races3.3% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Overturf
Overturf appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#13,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,208
-13 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 954 places
2020
#13,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,115
-93 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,753 | 2,221 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,707 | 2,208 | 0.75 | -13 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 954 places |
| 2020 | #13,717 | 2,115 | 0.71 | -93 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 10 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Overturf surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #13,707 | #13,717 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,208 | 2,115 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.71 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Overturf bearers went from 2,208 to 2,115 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,707 to #13,717.
FAQ
Overturf surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Overturf?
Name Census estimates that about 2,425 living Americans carry the surname Overturf. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,342 residents.
How common is Overturf?
Overturf ranks #13,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,115 people with the surname Overturf. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Overturf.
Has Overturf become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Overturf went from 2,208 recorded bearers to 2,115. That is a decrease of 93 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,707 to #13,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Overturf?
Among Census respondents with the surname Overturf, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Overturf in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,931 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Overturf appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Overturf (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Overturf mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "over the turf," referring to someone who lived beyond a grassy area. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Overturf (0.71 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Overturf?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Overturf is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.