2000
#6,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,160
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.91
Rare Last name
Turcotte
A French occupational surname referring to someone who kept turkeys or a grower of Turkish wheat.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,442 Americans carry the last name Turcotte. That puts it at #6,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,983 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turcotte 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
5.4K
1 in 62,983
Census rank
#6,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,746 bearers of the surname Turcotte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turcotte
The surname Turcotte originates from France and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French word "turcot," which referred to a type of woolen cloth or fabric. This cloth was likely named after its resemblance to Turkish fabrics, as "turc" means "Turk" in French.
Turcotte is believed to have initially been an occupational name for a person who worked with or traded in this particular type of woolen cloth. The name is thought to have first appeared in regions of France where the textile industry was prominent, such as Normandy and the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turcotte can be found in the 17th century French census records from the city of Rouen in Normandy. In these records, the name is spelled "Turcot," which was a common variation at the time.
As the name spread across France and eventually to other parts of the world, different spellings emerged, including Turcotte, Turcot, and Turcotte. These variations likely arose due to regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One notable individual with the surname Turcotte was Michel-Étienne Turgot (1690-1751), a French statesman and economist who served as the Intendant of Finances under King Louis XV. He played a significant role in implementing economic reforms and is considered one of the pioneers of modern economics.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Joseph-André Turcotte (1808-1866), a French-Canadian lawyer, journalist, and historian. He published several works on the history of Canada, including "Le Canada sous l'Union" and "Histoire de l'île d'Orléans."
In the 18th century, the name Turcotte was also found in records from the French colony of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada). One example is Joseph Turcotte, who was born in 1743 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia).
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turcotte dates back to the late 18th century. Jean-Baptiste Turcotte, born in 1772 in Quebec, Canada, later settled in Michigan and is considered one of the first French-Canadian settlers in the area.
Another notable individual with the surname Turcotte was Lucien Turcotte (1876-1953), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and as a judge in the province of Quebec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turcotte
Among Census respondents with the surname Turcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Turcotte 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 Turcotte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 4,351
- Two or more races3.4% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 142
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 28
- Black or African American0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turcotte
Turcotte 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
#6,647
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,092
-68 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 524 places
2020
#6,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,746
-346 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.59
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,123 | 5,160 | 1.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,647 | 5,092 | 1.73 | -68 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 524 places |
| 2020 | #6,820 | 4,746 | 1.59 | -346 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 173 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 Turcotte 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 | #6,647 | #6,820 | -2.6% |
| Count | 5,092 | 4,746 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.73 | 1.59 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turcotte bearers went from 5,092 to 4,746 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,647 to #6,820.
FAQ
Turcotte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turcotte?
Name Census estimates that about 5,442 living Americans carry the surname Turcotte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,983 residents.
How common is Turcotte?
Turcotte ranks #6,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,746 people with the surname Turcotte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,442), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Turcotte.
Has Turcotte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turcotte went from 5,092 recorded bearers to 4,746. That is a decrease of 346 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,647 to #6,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Turcotte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turcotte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Turcotte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (4,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turcotte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Turcotte (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 Turcotte mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who kept turkeys or a grower of Turkish wheat. 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 Turcotte (1.59 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 surname Turcotte?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.