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

Tornow, 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 Tornow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tornow in America

Tornow is the 30390th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tornow surname appeared 769 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 Tornow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tornow 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 Tornow

The surname Tornow originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "torn," meaning "tower," combined with the suffix "-ow," which was commonly used in place names at the time. This suggests that the name may have originated from a location or settlement near a prominent tower or fortified structure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Tornow can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Kolberg, in the Duchy of Pomerania (now part of modern-day Poland), in the year 1562. This entry mentions a certain Hans Tornow, indicating that the surname was already in use during that period.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents and records from the Prussian region of Germany. For instance, a merchant named Johann Tornow is mentioned in the trade records of the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in 1647.

As the centuries passed, the Tornow surname spread across various parts of Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing this name was Johann August Tornow, a German theologian and philosopher born in 1732 in the town of Stettin (now Szczecin, Poland). He gained recognition for his contributions to the fields of ethics and moral philosophy.

Another notable individual with the Tornow surname was Carl Wilhelm Tornow, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1783 to 1856. He was known for his landscape paintings and etchings, which depicted scenes from various regions of Germany and Switzerland.

In the 19th century, the name Tornow continued to appear in historical records and documents. One example is Friedrich Tornow, a German architect born in 1819 in Berlin. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the Prussian State Library (now the Berlin State Library) and the Reichsbank building.

As the 20th century approached, the Tornow surname remained prevalent in various parts of Germany and beyond. One notable figure from this period was Erich Tornow, a German military officer who served in World War I and later became a prominent advocate for pacifism and international cooperation.

While the origins of the Tornow surname can be traced back to Germany and the 16th century, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and various historical events. However, its roots and early historical connections remain firmly anchored in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tornow

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

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

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

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