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

Torok, 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 Torok surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torok in America

Torok is the 14238th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torok surname appeared 2,106 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Torok.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torok 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 Torok

The surname Torok is of Hungarian origin, with its roots tracing back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Hungarian word "török," which means "Turk" or "Turkish." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals who had some connection with the Turkish people or culture.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Rationes Collectorum Papalis, a collection of papal tax records from the 14th century. This document mentions a certain "Johannes dictus Turk" from the town of Szentkirály (now in Romania) in 1332, which is likely an early variant of the surname Torok.

In the 15th century, the name appears in a document from the town of Hódmezővásárhely in southern Hungary, where a man named "Stephanus Turk" is mentioned in 1456. This spelling variation further reinforces the connection between the surname and the word "török."

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Torok became more widespread in various regions of the Kingdom of Hungary, which at the time included parts of present-day Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Serbia. One notable bearer of the name was István Török (1551-1619), a Hungarian nobleman and military commander who played a significant role in the Long Turkish War against the Ottoman Empire.

Another prominent figure with the surname Torok was Miklós Török (1585-1632), a Hungarian nobleman and military leader who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Zemplén County in northeastern Hungary. He is remembered for his role in the Thirty Years' War and his support for the Reformation in Hungary.

In the 18th century, the surname Torok can be found in records from the town of Makó in southeastern Hungary, where a family with that name held significant landholdings. One member of this family was János Török (1727-1810), a renowned poet and translator who played a significant role in the development of Hungarian literature.

As the surname spread across Hungary and beyond, variations in spelling emerged, such as Török, Toroek, and Torok. These variations reflect the different ways the name was transcribed and pronounced in various regions and dialects.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torok

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

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

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

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