2000
#32,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Tornatore
An Italian surname denoting a person who worked with a lathe or turned wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 779 Americans carry the last name Tornatore. That puts it at #35,638 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 439,993 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tornatore 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
779
1 in 439,993
Census rank
#35,638
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
679
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 679 bearers of the surname Tornatore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35638th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tornatore
The surname Tornatore has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "tornare," which means "to turn" or "to return." This suggests that the name might have been given to someone who worked as a turner, crafting objects on a lathe or a similar device.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tornatore can be found in the archives of the city of Palermo, Sicily, where a certain Giovanni Tornatore is mentioned in a document dated 1356. This suggests that the name was already established in that region by the mid-14th century.
In the 15th century, the name appears in several records from the town of Agrigento, also in Sicily. One such record, dated 1487, mentions a Matteo Tornatore, who was a prominent landowner in the area.
As the centuries passed, the Tornatore surname spread across various parts of Italy, with notable individuals bearing the name emerging in different regions. In the 16th century, a certain Girolamo Tornatore (1508-1584) was a renowned scholar and philosopher from Naples, known for his works on logic and metaphysics.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in the artistic circles of Rome, with the painter Niccolò Tornatore (1622-1701) being one of the most celebrated figures of his time. His works can still be found adorning the walls of various churches and palaces in the Eternal City.
Moving into the 18th century, the Tornatore family established itself as a prominent lineage in the city of Catania, Sicily. One of the notable figures from this era was Francesco Tornatore (1748-1821), a successful merchant and philanthropist who was instrumental in the construction of several public buildings and charitable institutions in the city.
In the 19th century, the name Tornatore gained international recognition with the birth of Giuseppe Tornatore (1836-1908), an Italian opera composer and conductor. His operas, such as "Francesca da Rimini" and "Gismonda," were widely acclaimed and performed in major opera houses across Europe.
Another noteworthy figure from this period was Vincenzo Tornatore (1858-1932), a politician and lawyer from Palermo, who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and was actively involved in the struggle for Italian unification.
As the 20th century dawned, the Tornatore surname continued to be associated with artistic and cultural pursuits. One of the most renowned figures of this era was the Italian film director Giuseppe Tornatore (born 1956), best known for his critically acclaimed movies such as "Cinema Paradiso" and "The Legend of 1900."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tornatore
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tornatore 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 Tornatore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 623
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 13
- Two or more races1.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tornatore
Tornatore 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
#34,223
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 663
-12 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Down 2,021 places
2020
#35,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 679
+16 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 1,415 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,202 | 675 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,223 | 663 | 0.22 | -12 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,021 places |
| 2020 | #35,638 | 679 | 0.23 | +16 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 1,415 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 Tornatore 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 | #34,223 | #35,638 | -4.1% |
| Count | 663 | 679 | 2.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.23 | 3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tornatore bearers went from 663 to 679 (+2.4% change). The surname moved down 1,415 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,223 to #35,638.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Tornatore
FAQ
Tornatore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tornatore?
Name Census estimates that about 779 living Americans carry the surname Tornatore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 439,993 residents.
How common is Tornatore?
Tornatore ranks #35,638 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 679 people with the surname Tornatore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Tornatore.
Has Tornatore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tornatore went from 663 recorded bearers to 679. That is an increase of 16 (+2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,223 to #35,638.
What does the Census say about the background of Tornatore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tornatore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Tornatore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (623 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tornatore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Tornatore (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 Tornatore mean?
An Italian surname denoting a person who worked with a lathe or turned wood. 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 Tornatore (0.23 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 Americans have the surname Tornatore?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.