2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Torrington
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Torrington.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Torrington. 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 Torrington 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 Torrington with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
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 Torrington 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 Torrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torrington
The surname Torrington originated in England, specifically in the county of Devon. It is derived from the place name Torrington, which means "the town on the River Torridge." This place name can be traced back to the early medieval period, and it is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Toritone."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Torrington date back to the 13th century. One notable example is Roger de Torrington, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Devon in 1242. Another early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a John de Torrington.
During the Middle Ages, the name was sometimes spelled as Torytone or Toritone, reflecting the local dialect and variations in orthography at the time. As people began to adopt hereditary surnames, those living in or near the town of Torrington adopted the name as a way to identify their place of origin.
In the 16th century, Sir John Torrington (c. 1510-1570) was a prominent figure who served as a member of parliament and held various positions in the English government. Another notable bearer of the name was Samuel Torrington (1635-1695), an English clergyman and writer who authored several religious works.
In the 18th century, George Torrington (1752-1831) was a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral and played a significant role in the Battle of the Nile during the Napoleonic Wars. His contemporary, William Torrington (1760-1835), was an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
Moving into the 19th century, Edward Torrington (1810-1878) was a British politician and lawyer who served as a member of parliament and was involved in various legal reforms. Another notable figure was John Torrington (1825-1898), an English artist and illustrator who produced numerous works depicting landscapes and rural life.
Throughout history, the name Torrington has remained closely associated with its origins in the county of Devon, reflecting the strong ties between place names and the development of surnames in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torrington
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Torrington 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 Torrington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.9% · 73
- Black or African American30.2% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torrington
Torrington 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-8 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,187 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+16 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,947 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 19,187 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 15,947 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 Torrington 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 | #160,975 | #145,028 | 9.9% |
| Count | 100 | 116 | 16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torrington bearers went from 100 to 116 (+16.0% change). The surname moved up 15,947 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #145,028.
FAQ
Torrington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torrington?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Torrington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Torrington?
Torrington 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 Torrington. 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 Torrington.
Has Torrington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torrington went from 100 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 16 (+16.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Torrington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torrington, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Torrington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.9% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torrington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.9%), Black (30.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Torrington (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 Torrington mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the town of Torrington. 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 Torrington (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 share the surname Torrington?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.