2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Torreyson
A surname derived from an English place name with the root "tor", meaning hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Torreyson. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Torreyson 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Torreyson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Torreyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torreyson
The surname Torreyson has its origins in England, dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name such as Torry or Torrie. These place names are thought to be derived from the Old English words "tor" or "torr," meaning a rocky hill or tower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torreyson can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where it appears as "Torisoun." This suggests that the name had already been established in the Yorkshire region by that time.
In the 15th century, there are references to a John Torreyson in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, dated 1426. This provides further evidence of the name's presence in the northern English counties during the medieval period.
The Torreyson surname is also found in various historical records from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as parish registers and tax records. One notable individual from this period was William Torreyson, a merchant from London who was born in 1582 and died in 1647.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Torreyson family continued to flourish in various parts of England, particularly in the north. Some notable individuals from this time include:
1. Robert Torreyson (1734-1805), a landowner and member of the local gentry in Yorkshire.
2. Elizabeth Torreyson (1763-1842), a writer and educator from Lancashire.
3. James Torreyson (1792-1868), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Nottinghamshire.
4. Henry Torreyson (1818-1889), a renowned architect responsible for designing several prominent buildings in London.
5. Alice Torreyson (1845-1921), a prominent suffragette and campaigner for women's rights from Yorkshire.
While the Torreyson surname may not be as widespread as some other English surnames, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has produced notable individuals in various fields throughout its existence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torreyson
Among Census respondents with the surname Torreyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Torreyson 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 Torreyson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 13
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torreyson
Torreyson 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+8 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,416 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 1,416 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Torreyson 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torreyson bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Torreyson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torreyson?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Torreyson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Torreyson?
Torreyson ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 116 people with the surname Torreyson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Torreyson.
Has Torreyson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torreyson went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Torreyson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torreyson, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Torreyson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torreyson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Hispanic (11.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Torreyson (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 Torreyson mean?
A surname derived from an English place name with the root "tor", meaning hill. 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 Torreyson (0.04 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 people have the last name Torreyson?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Torreyson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.