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

Torchon, 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 Torchon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torchon in America

Torchon is the 76768th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torchon surname appeared 250 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Torchon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torchon 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.

The history of the last name Torchon

The surname Torchon is of French origin, deriving from the northern regions of France during the medieval period. It is thought to have evolved from the Old French word "torchon," meaning a rough cloth or towel used for cleaning. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to an occupation or trade, potentially a cloth-maker or someone who worked with textiles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical documents of Normandy, where a certain Guillaumme Torchon was mentioned as a landowner in the year 1235. This indicates that the name had already become established as a surname by the 13th century in this region.

In the 14th century, records show a Jehan Torchon residing in the town of Rouen, which was a major center for textile production during that time. This further reinforces the potential connection between the surname and the cloth-making industry.

The name also appears in the Livre Terrien, a medieval land registry compiled in the 15th century for the region of Brittany. Here, a Pierre Torchon is listed as a landowner in the village of Pleyben, indicating the spread of the name across northern France.

One notable historical figure bearing the surname Torchon was Jacques Torchon, a French merchant and explorer who was born in Dieppe in 1567. He is known for his voyage to the West Indies and his documented encounters with indigenous peoples in the Caribbean.

Another prominent individual was Étienne Torchon, a French mathematician and astronomer born in Paris in 1622. He made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the study of comets, and was elected to the prestigious French Academy of Sciences in 1699.

In the 18th century, a certain Marie-Anne Torchon gained recognition as a talented French painter and portraitist. She was born in Lyons in 1753 and her works were exhibited at the renowned Paris Salon.

The name Torchon has also been associated with various place names in France, such as the village of Torchon-sur-Orne in the Normandy region, and the hamlet of Torchon in the Auvergne region, which may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname.

Throughout history, the surname Torchon has been documented in various spellings, including Torchon, Torchone, and Torchonne, reflecting the regional variations and evolution of the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torchon

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

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 Torchon was:

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 Torchon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Torchon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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