2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tourtelotte
A French surname derived from the word "tourte" meaning pie or tart.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Tourtelotte. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tourtelotte 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.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Tourtelotte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tourtelotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tourtelotte
The surname Tourtelotte has its origins in France, where it first appeared during the medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "tourterelle," which means "turtledove." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or based on an occupation related to breeding or caring for these birds.
The earliest known records of the name date back to the late 13th century in the region of Normandy, where it was spelled "Tourtelot" or "Tortellot." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions of that era.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing this surname was Jean Tourtelotte, a merchant from the town of Rouen, who was mentioned in the city's archives in 1298. Another notable figure was Guillaume Tourtelotte, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name can be found in the records of the Île-de-France region, particularly in the town of Tourtelotte near Paris. It is possible that this place name influenced the surname's spelling and may have been the origin of some Tourtelotte families.
An interesting historical reference is the appearance of the name in the records of the French Protestant (Huguenot) community in the 17th century. Several Tourtelotte families were among the Huguenots who fled religious persecution in France and sought refuge in other parts of Europe and North America.
One notable bearer of the Tourtelotte name was Jacques Tourtelotte (1620-1687), a Huguenot refugee who settled in the Netherlands and later became a prominent merchant in Amsterdam. Another was Pierre Tourtelotte (1675-1742), who emigrated to the British colonies in America and became a successful farmer in Massachusetts.
Other notable individuals with this surname include:
- François Tourtelotte (1785-1856), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte.
- Émile Tourtelotte (1819-1891), a French painter known for his landscapes and rural scenes.
- Eugène Tourtelotte (1858-1923), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons.
- Léon Tourtelotte (1890-1972), a French author and journalist who wrote extensively about World War I.
- Gilles Tourtelotte (born 1947), a French-Canadian actor and director who has worked in both film and theater.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tourtelotte
Among Census respondents with the surname Tourtelotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Tourtelotte 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 Tourtelotte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tourtelotte
Tourtelotte 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 488 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 488 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Tourtelotte 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tourtelotte bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Tourtelotte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tourtelotte?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Tourtelotte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Tourtelotte?
Tourtelotte ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Tourtelotte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Tourtelotte.
Has Tourtelotte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tourtelotte went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Tourtelotte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tourtelotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Tourtelotte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tourtelotte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (3.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Tourtelotte (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 Tourtelotte mean?
A French surname derived from the word "tourte" meaning pie or tart. 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 Tourtelotte (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 have the last name Tourtelotte?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Tourtelotte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.