2000
#8,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,814
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.41
Rare Last name
Turek
A surname of Polish origin meaning "aurochs," a large, extinct wild ox that once inhabited Europe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,000 Americans carry the last name Turek. That puts it at #8,999 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,689 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turek 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 Turek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.0K
1 in 85,689
Census rank
#8,999
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,488 bearers of the surname Turek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8999th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turek
The surname Turek originated in Poland, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Polish word "turek," which means "a person from Turkey" or "a Turk." The name likely arose as a nickname or an occupational name given to someone who had traveled to or traded with Turkey, or perhaps had physical features resembling those of Turkish descent.
In the 14th century, the name Turek appeared in historical records, such as the Akta grodzkie i ziemskie, a collection of court documents from various Polish regions. These documents mention individuals with the surname Turek, indicating its presence during that time period.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Turek is Jan Turek, a Polish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 15th century. He fought alongside King Jan Olbracht in the Polish-Ottoman War and was celebrated for his bravery and leadership.
Another notable figure with the surname Turek was Piotr Turek, a Polish writer and poet born in 1566. He is best known for his work "Księga o gospodarstwie," a treatise on agriculture and rural life in Renaissance Poland.
In the 18th century, the name Turek was associated with the town of Turek, located in the Wielkopolska region of Poland. This town likely derived its name from the surname, indicating the presence of families with this name in the area.
Marianna Turek, born in 1813, was a Polish painter and one of the first female artists to gain recognition in her country. Her works, often depicting scenes of everyday life and landscapes, are held in several Polish museums.
Józef Turek, born in 1888, was a Polish musician and composer known for his contributions to the development of Polish folk music. He recorded and preserved numerous traditional songs and dances from various regions of Poland.
Throughout history, the surname Turek has been found across Poland, with various spellings and variations such as Turekz, Tureck, and Turecky. It has also been adopted by families in other Slavic countries, reflecting the cultural and linguistic connections within the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turek
Among Census respondents with the surname Turek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Turek 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 Turek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,228
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 103
- Two or more races2.7% · 94
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 41
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turek
Turek 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
#7,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,241
+427 bearers (+11.2%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 219 places
2020
#8,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,488
-753 bearers (-17.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 1,196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,022 | 3,814 | 1.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,803 | 4,241 | 1.44 | +427 bearers (+11.2%) | Up 219 places |
| 2020 | #8,999 | 3,488 | 1.17 | -753 bearers (-17.8%) | Down 1,196 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 Turek 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 | #7,803 | #8,999 | -15.3% |
| Count | 4,241 | 3,488 | -17.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.44 | 1.17 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turek bearers went from 4,241 to 3,488 (-17.8% change). The surname moved down 1,196 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,803 to #8,999.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Turek
FAQ
Turek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turek?
Name Census estimates that about 4,000 living Americans carry the surname Turek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,689 residents.
How common is Turek?
Turek ranks #8,999 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,488 people with the surname Turek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,000), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Turek.
Has Turek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turek went from 4,241 recorded bearers to 3,488. That is a decrease of 753 (-17.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,803 to #8,999.
What does the Census say about the background of Turek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turek, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Turek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Turek (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 Turek mean?
A surname of Polish origin meaning "aurochs," a large, extinct wild ox that once inhabited Europe. 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 Turek (1.17 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 common is the surname Turek?
Find out how many people have the surname Turek on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.