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

Tork, 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 Tork surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tork in America

Tork is the 82317th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tork surname appeared 229 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 Tork.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tork 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 Tork

The surname TORK is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a variant of the Old English word "torc," which referred to a type of ornamental neck ring worn by Celtic warriors and chieftains. The name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who wore or made such neck rings.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TORK can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1190, where a man named Willelmus Tork is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 12th century.

During the 13th century, the name TORK appeared in various records across different regions of England. For example, in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire from 1272, a certain John Tork is listed as a landholder. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275 mention a Richard Tork.

In the 14th century, the surname TORK continued to be documented in various parts of England. One notable individual from this period was John Tork, who was born in Yorkshire around 1320 and served as a bailiff in the city of York in the 1360s.

The 15th century saw the emergence of several notable individuals with the surname TORK. One example is William Tork, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from around 1425 to 1493. Another is Thomas Tork, a landowner in Oxfordshire, who was born in the late 15th century and whose estate is mentioned in the Feet of Fines records from 1510.

In the 16th century, the TORK surname continued to be found across various parts of England. One notable figure was Sir John Tork, a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire who lived from 1520 to 1588. Another was Robert Tork, a scholar and author from Lincolnshire, who published a book on English grammar in 1569.

By the 17th century, the surname TORK had spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One example is James Tork, a Scottish merchant who settled in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1630s and whose descendants continued to use the surname in that region.

Throughout its history, the TORK surname has been associated with various spellings, including Torke, Torck, and Turk, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and regional dialects across different parts of England and the British Isles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tork

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

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

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

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