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

Torrens, 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 Torrens surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torrens in America

Torrens is the 22770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torrens surname appeared 1,125 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 Torrens.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torrens 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 Torrens

The surname Torrens originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "torre," meaning tower or fortified structure. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a tower or worked as a watchman or guard in a tower.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torrens dates back to the 13th century. It appears in a document from the region of Aragon, where a person named Pero Torrens is mentioned as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the name Torrens can be found in records from the city of Valencia. A notable figure from that time was Juan Torrens, a merchant who played a role in the city's thriving trade industry.

During the 15th century, the Torrens name gained prominence in the region of Catalonia. A family by the name of Torrens owned land and properties in the town of Manresa. One member of this family, Pere Torrens (1420-1489), was a renowned scholar and philosopher who studied at the University of Barcelona.

As the Spanish Empire expanded in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Torrens name spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas. In 1573, a man named Diego Torrens accompanied Spanish explorers on an expedition to the Caribbean islands.

In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Torrens was Colonel Robert Torrens (1780-1864), a British soldier and politician from Ireland. He is best known for his contributions to land reform and the development of the Torrens system of land registration, which was later adopted in various countries around the world.

Another prominent individual with the Torrens surname was Robert Torrens (1814-1884), a British economist and political thinker. He was a proponent of free trade and published several influential works on economic theory.

Throughout history, the Torrens name has been associated with various professions, including military service, politics, academia, and commerce. The surname's origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it likely referred to those who lived or worked near fortified towers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torrens

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

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

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

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