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

Touch, 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 Touch surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Touch in America

Touch is the 19513th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Touch surname appeared 1,384 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 Touch.

We can also compare 2010 data for Touch 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 Touch

The surname TOUCH has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "touchier," meaning "to touch" or "to strike." This surname was likely initially given as a descriptive name to someone who had a profession involving physical contact, such as a masseur or a blacksmith.

In the early 14th century, the name appeared in various forms in French records, including Toche, Touche, and Touchet. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name was in the 1379 census of Normandy, where a certain Jean Touche was listed as a resident of the town of Rouen.

During the Middle Ages, the TOUCH surname spread across France, with various spellings appearing in different regions. For instance, in the 1467 tax records of Burgundy, a man named Guillaume Toche was recorded as a landowner.

As the name traveled beyond France, it took on regional variations. In England, the surname appeared as early as the 16th century, often spelled as Toche or Touche. One notable bearer of this name was Sir John Toche, a English diplomat who served as ambassador to Spain during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603).

The TOUCH surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Germany, where it was sometimes spelled as Tutsch or Tutsche. One of the earliest recorded instances of this variation was in the 1568 church records of Cologne, which mentioned a certain Hans Tutsche.

In the Netherlands, the name appeared as Toutsch or Toutsche, as evidenced by the 1612 birth record of Pieter Toutsche in Amsterdam.

Other notable bearers of the TOUCH surname throughout history include:

1. Jean-Baptiste Touche (1667-1723), a French painter and engraver known for his religious works.
2. Louis Touche-Treville (1745-1817), a French naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary Wars.
3. William Touche (1778-1860), an English brewer and businessman who founded the Touche brewing company in London.
4. George Alexander Touche (1809-1888), a British barrister and judge who served as the Chief Justice of Gibraltar.
5. John Toche (fl. 1590-1610), an English translator and writer who produced English versions of several Spanish plays.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Touch

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

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

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

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