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

Torrisi, 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 Torrisi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Torrisi in America

Torrisi is the 30665th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Torrisi surname appeared 760 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 Torrisi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Torrisi 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 Torrisi

The surname Torrisi originated in Sicily, Italy, and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin word "turris," meaning tower or fortified structure, suggesting that the name was likely initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a tower or fortified building.

The earliest known mention of the name Torrisi can be found in a Sicilian manuscript from the year 1190, where it is spelled "Turrisi." This document records a land transaction involving a person with this surname, indicating that the name was already well-established in the region at that time.

During the Middle Ages, the Torrisi family was known to have resided in the town of Palermo, which was a major center of power and culture in Sicily. Some records indicate that members of the family held positions of influence within the local government and religious institutions.

One notable figure bearing the Torrisi surname was Giovanni Torrisi, a 14th-century merchant and landowner from Palermo. He was known for his extensive trade networks and his involvement in the local politics of the time.

In the 15th century, the name Torrisi appears in the records of the Sicilian town of Messina, where a family of that name held land and was involved in the local agricultural industry.

Another prominent individual with the Torrisi surname was Vincenzo Torrisi, a 16th-century scholar and philosopher from Catania. He was known for his writings on logic and metaphysics and was widely respected in academic circles of the time.

The surname Torrisi can also be found in various historical documents from other parts of Sicily, such as Trapani and Agrigento, indicating that the name was widely spread across the island.

One of the earliest known instances of the surname Torrisi outside of Sicily occurred in the 17th century, when a family of that name settled in the city of Naples, located in the neighboring region of Campania.

Throughout history, several other notable individuals have borne the surname Torrisi, including Antonio Torrisi, a 19th-century painter from Palermo, and Giuseppe Torrisi, a 20th-century politician and activist from Catania, who was involved in the Italian labor movement.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Torrisi

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

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

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

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