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

Tornez, 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 Tornez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tornez in America

Tornez is the 67943rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tornez surname appeared 290 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 Tornez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tornez 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 Tornez

The surname Tornez originated in the northern regions of Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "torno," meaning "lathe" or "turning," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to an occupation related to woodworking or carpentry.

The earliest known records of the Tornez surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the province of Asturias. One of the earliest documented instances is found in a cartulary from the Monastery of San Vicente in Oviedo, where a certain Juan Tornez is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1184.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various legal documents and land registries across northern Spain, particularly in the regions of Cantabria and Basque Country. One notable figure from this time was Pedro Tornez, a merchant from Santander who was involved in the wool trade with England and Flanders.

As the name spread throughout the Iberian Peninsula, it also evolved into different spellings, such as Tornés, Tornès, and Tornay. This variation can be observed in historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, reflecting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the regions where the name was present.

One of the most prominent individuals bearing the Tornez surname was Alonso Tornez, a Spanish navigator and explorer who accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493. Tornez played a crucial role in the exploration and settlement of the Caribbean islands.

During the 16th century, the Tornez name gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the New World. Hernán Tornez, born in 1521 in Seville, was a conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro. He later became a prominent landowner and administrator in the Viceroyalty of Peru.

In the 17th century, the Tornez name appears in several religious and military records. Fray Juan Tornez, born in 1612 in Burgos, was a Franciscan friar who traveled to the Philippines and spent several years evangelizing in the region.

As the centuries passed, the Tornez surname continued to be present in various parts of Spain and its territories, contributing to the rich cultural and historical tapestry of the Spanish-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tornez

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!