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

Tortora, 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 Tortora surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tortora in America

Tortora is the 19834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tortora surname appeared 1,355 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 Tortora.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tortora 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 Tortora

The surname Tortora is of Italian origin, with its roots traced back to the region of Campania in southern Italy during the medieval period. The name is believed to be derived from the Latin word "turtur," meaning turtle dove, or the Italian word "tortora," which translates to the same meaning.

The earliest known instances of the Tortora surname can be found in historical records from the late 12th century, where it appeared in various spellings such as Tortore, Tortorea, and Tortorella, reflecting regional dialectal variations. The name was particularly prominent in the towns and villages around the cities of Naples and Salerno.

One notable historical reference to the Tortora name can be found in the "Codice Diplomatico Barese," a collection of medieval documents from the city of Bari, dating back to the 11th century. This collection includes several mentions of individuals bearing the Tortora surname, indicating their presence in the region during that time.

Among the earliest recorded bearers of the Tortora surname were members of the noble Tortora family, who held land and titles in the Kingdom of Naples during the 13th and 14th centuries. One prominent figure was Nicola Tortora, a nobleman and military commander who fought in the War of the Sicilian Vespers against the Angevin dynasty in the late 13th century.

Another notable figure was Girolamo Tortora, a 16th-century Italian philosopher and theologian born in Salerno. He was a renowned scholar who wrote extensively on subjects such as metaphysics, logic, and natural philosophy.

In the realm of literature, the Tortora surname is associated with Gennaro Tortora, a 19th-century Italian poet and playwright from Naples. His works, which often explored themes of love and patriotism, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.

Moving into the 20th century, Aldo Tortora was a prominent Italian journalist and television personality born in 1928. He hosted several popular television programs and was known for his witty and engaging on-air presence.

Additionally, the Tortora surname has been carried by several artists and musicians, including the Italian painter and sculptor Gennaro Tortora (1927-1999) and the Italian composer and conductor Mauro Tortora (born 1955).

While the Tortora surname has its roots in southern Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with individuals bearing this name found in various regions and countries around the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tortora

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!