2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tuerck
A surname derived from a German nickname for a strong or daring person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Tuerck. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tuerck 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Tuerck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuerck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tuerck
The surname TUERCK is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "turc" or "türc," which means "Turk." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, when interactions between Europeans and the Ottoman Empire or other Turkish populations intensified due to the Crusades, trade, and cultural exchanges.
In its earliest forms, the name TUERCK may have been used as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals who had physical characteristics, occupations, or connections associated with the Turkish people or culture. It could have been applied to merchants, interpreters, or travelers who had dealings with the Turks, or to individuals of Turkish descent living in German-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name TUERCK can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 9th-century manuscript from the Corvey Abbey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This document mentions a person named "Turco," which may be an early variant of the TUERCK surname.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Ulrich Tuerck was mentioned in the Annals of Cologne, a chronicle of events in the city of Cologne. Ulrich Tuerck was a prominent merchant and guild member who played a role in the city's affairs during that time.
Another historical figure bearing the TUERCK surname was Johann Tuerck, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500-1570). He was known for his writings on religious matters and his involvement in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, a man named Hans Tuerck (c. 1620-1690) was a respected craftsman and furniture maker in the city of Augsburg, Germany. His intricate woodwork and cabinetry pieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons of the time.
During the 18th century, a notable figure named Friedrich Tuerck (1725-1801) emerged as a successful merchant and landowner in the region of Saxony, Germany. He was known for his business acumen and philanthropic endeavors, contributing to the development of local communities.
As the surname TUERCK spread throughout various regions of Germany, it also underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Türck, Türk, or Turck. These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the evolution of the German language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tuerck
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuerck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Tuerck 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 Tuerck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tuerck
Tuerck 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,875 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-13 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,050 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 1,875 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 10,050 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 Tuerck 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 | #145,220 | #155,270 | -6.9% |
| Count | 114 | 101 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tuerck bearers went from 114 to 101 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 10,050 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #155,270.
FAQ
Tuerck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tuerck?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Tuerck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Tuerck?
Tuerck ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Tuerck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Tuerck.
Has Tuerck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tuerck went from 114 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tuerck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tuerck, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Tuerck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tuerck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Tuerck (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 Tuerck mean?
A surname derived from a German nickname for a strong or daring person. 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 Tuerck (0.03 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 Tuerck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.