2000
#74,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Torrie
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "tòrr" meaning a hill or knoll.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 263 Americans carry the last name Torrie. That puts it at #87,312 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,303,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Torrie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Torrie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
263
1 in 1,303,248
Census rank
#87,312
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
229
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 229 bearers of the surname Torrie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 87312th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Black (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torrie
The surname Torrie has its roots in Scotland, originating from the Gaelic word "torr," which means a conical hill or a mound. The name is believed to have emerged around the 12th or 13th century, when it was commonly used as a descriptive name for individuals who lived near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Torrie can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 13th century, where it appears as "de Torry." This suggests that the name was initially associated with a specific location or place name, as was common during that era.
The name Torrie has also been linked to various place names across Scotland, such as Torry in Aberdeenshire and Torryburn in Fife. These place names likely derived from the same Gaelic root word, "torr," and may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname.
In the 15th century, the surname Torrie appeared in the records of the Scots Peerage, with one notable individual being Sir William Torrie, a prominent landowner and knight who lived during the reign of King James III (1460-1488). Another early bearer of the name was John Torrie, a clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of St. Andrews in the late 16th century (1546-1615).
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Torrie surname gained further recognition with individuals like James Torrie (1614-1676), a Scottish minister and writer who authored several religious works. Robert Torrie (1685-1747) was a notable philosopher and academic who served as the Professor of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
In more recent history, one of the most famous bearers of the Torrie surname was Sir Victor Alexander John Torrie (1864-1938), a British military officer and member of the Royal Engineers. He played a pivotal role in the construction of the Aswan Low Dam in Egypt and was knighted for his contributions.
Throughout its history, the surname Torrie has maintained a strong presence in Scotland, with variations in spelling such as Torry, Torrey, and Torry-e. While the name has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, its origins remain deeply rooted in the Scottish landscape and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torrie
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Black (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Torrie 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 Torrie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.4% · 191
- Two or more races7.9% · 18
- Black or African American5.7% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torrie
Torrie 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
#72,332
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
+29 bearers (+12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 2,625 places
2020
#87,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
-40 bearers (-14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 14,980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,957 | 240 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #72,332 | 269 | 0.09 | +29 bearers (+12.1%) | Up 2,625 places |
| 2020 | #87,312 | 229 | 0.08 | -40 bearers (-14.9%) | Down 14,980 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 Torrie 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 | #72,332 | #87,312 | -20.7% |
| Count | 269 | 229 | -14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torrie bearers went from 269 to 229 (-14.9% change). The surname moved down 14,980 positions in the national ranking, going from #72,332 to #87,312.
FAQ
Torrie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torrie?
Name Census estimates that about 263 living Americans carry the surname Torrie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,303,248 residents.
How common is Torrie?
Torrie ranks #87,312 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 229 people with the surname Torrie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (263), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Torrie.
Has Torrie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torrie went from 269 recorded bearers to 229. That is a decrease of 40 (-14.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #72,332 to #87,312.
What does the Census say about the background of Torrie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Black (5.7%). 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 Torrie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.4% (191 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torrie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.4%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Black (5.7%). 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 Torrie (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 Torrie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "tòrr" meaning a hill or knoll. 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 Torrie (0.08 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 are called Torrie?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Torrie is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.