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

Tur, 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 Tur surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Tur in America

Tur is the 36286th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tur surname appeared 617 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 Tur.

We can also compare 2010 data for Tur 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 Tur

The surname "Tur" is believed to have originated in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "turi," which means "gate" or "door." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a gate or a doorway, or perhaps a gatekeeper or doorman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 8th to the 13th century. The name "Tur" appears in a document dated 1211, referring to a landowner named Heinrich Tur in the region of Saxony.

In the 14th century, the name "Tur" was also documented in the city of Nuremberg, where a merchant named Hans Tur is mentioned in a guild record from 1347. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.

Over the centuries, the surname "Tur" has undergone various spelling variations, such as "Tuer," "Thur," and "Thür." These variations reflect regional dialects and language changes throughout German-speaking regions.

One notable figure with the surname "Tur" was Johann Tur (1486-1548), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and played a crucial role in spreading the ideas of the Reformation throughout Germany.

Another prominent individual was Georg Tur (1570-1632), a German architect and engineer who was renowned for his work on fortifications and military architecture. He designed and oversaw the construction of several famous fortresses and defensive structures throughout Europe.

In the 19th century, the name "Tur" gained recognition through the work of the German historian and philologist, Karl Friedrich Tur (1805-1876). He made significant contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Roman literature and was widely respected in academic circles.

Another notable figure was the German painter and illustrator, Max Tur (1870-1942), whose works were widely acclaimed for their depictions of rural scenes and landscapes. His paintings are now part of several museum collections across Germany.

Finally, in the 20th century, the name "Tur" gained international recognition through the achievements of the German-American aerospace engineer, Wernher von Braun (1912-1977). Although his surname was "von Braun," his mother's maiden name was "Tur." He played a pivotal role in the development of rocket technology and was instrumental in the success of the Apollo program that landed humans on the Moon.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Tur

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

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

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

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