2000
#28,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Rare Last name
Turay
A surname of West African origin, likely referring to a noble or ruling family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,057 Americans carry the last name Turay. That puts it at #15,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turay 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Turay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 166,628
Census rank
#15,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,794 bearers of the surname Turay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turay
The surname Turay has its origins in West Africa, specifically in the country of Sierra Leone. It is believed to have derived from the Temne language, which is one of the major ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. The name is thought to be a variation of the word "Turay," which means "hunter" or "warrior" in the Temne language.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Turay can be found in the chronicles of the Temne people, which date back to the 16th century. These chronicles mention several individuals with the surname Turay, who were renowned hunters and warriors in their respective communities.
In the 18th century, the surname Turay gained prominence in the region of Port Loko, a town located in the northern part of Sierra Leone. During this period, several families bearing the Turay surname were prominent landowners and traders in the area.
One notable individual with the surname Turay was Bai Bureh Turay, a Temne chief who led a resistance movement against British colonial rule in Sierra Leone in the late 19th century. Bai Bureh Turay, born around 1845, was a skilled military strategist and a fierce defender of his people's rights. His uprising, known as the Hut Tax War, lasted from 1898 to 1899 and was a significant event in the history of Sierra Leone's struggle for independence.
Another prominent figure with the surname Turay was Ishmael Turay, a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician who served as the country's ambassador to the United Nations from 1971 to 1977. Ishmael Turay, born in 1924, played a crucial role in promoting Sierra Leone's interests on the international stage during his tenure as ambassador.
In the 20th century, the Turay surname also gained recognition in the field of sports. Ibrahim Turay, born in 1962, was a Sierra Leonean football player who represented his country at the international level and played for several clubs in Europe, including Anderlecht in Belgium and AS Monaco in France.
Alhaji Turay, born in 1945, was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1986 to 1992. He played a crucial role in Sierra Leone's foreign policy during a period of political turmoil and civil unrest.
While the surname Turay has its roots in Sierra Leone, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of West Africa, particularly in neighboring countries like Guinea and Liberia, where the Temne people have historical connections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turay
Among Census respondents with the surname Turay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Turay 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 Turay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.3% · 1,459
- White13.7% · 245
- Two or more races2.8% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turay
Turay 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
#20,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,302
+511 bearers (+64.6%)
Per 100,000 0.44
Rank movement Up 7,999 places
2020
#15,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
+492 bearers (+37.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 4,737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,407 | 791 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,408 | 1,302 | 0.44 | +511 bearers (+64.6%) | Up 7,999 places |
| 2020 | #15,671 | 1,794 | 0.60 | +492 bearers (+37.8%) | Up 4,737 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 Turay 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 | #20,408 | #15,671 | 23.2% |
| Count | 1,302 | 1,794 | 37.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.44 | 0.60 | 36.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turay bearers went from 1,302 to 1,794 (+37.8% change). The surname moved up 4,737 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,408 to #15,671.
FAQ
Turay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turay?
Name Census estimates that about 2,057 living Americans carry the surname Turay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,628 residents.
How common is Turay?
Turay ranks #15,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,794 people with the surname Turay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Turay.
Has Turay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turay went from 1,302 recorded bearers to 1,794. That is an increase of 492 (+37.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,408 to #15,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Turay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turay, the largest self-reported group is Black at 81.3%. The next largest groups are White (13.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Turay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.3% (1,459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (81.3%), White (13.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Turay (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 Turay mean?
A surname of West African origin, likely referring to a noble or ruling family. 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 Turay (0.60 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 Turay?
See how common the surname Turay is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.