2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Turetzky
A surname of Eastern European Jewish origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Turetzky. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turetzky 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Turetzky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turetzky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turetzky
The surname Turetzky is of Eastern European origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Poland and Ukraine, where it was likely derived from a combination of Slavic words or place names.
One possible origin is that it stems from the Polish word "tur," which means an aurochs or a type of wild ox. This could suggest that the name was initially associated with individuals involved in hunting or trading these animals. Alternatively, it may have connections to a specific town or village with a name containing the root "tur."
Historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries in Eastern Europe reveal instances of the Turetzky name being used. For example, there are mentions of a Turetzky family in the town of Lutsk, in present-day Ukraine, in the late 1600s. However, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin or earliest recorded use of the name due to the lack of comprehensive documentation from that period.
One notable bearer of the Turetzky name was Yakov Turetzky, a Russian-born violinist and composer who lived from 1835 to 1901. He was a prominent figure in the classical music scene of his time and contributed to the development of Russian violin repertoire.
Another individual of note was Mikhail Turetzky, a Russian military officer and statesman who served in the imperial army during the late 19th century. He was born in 1852 and played a role in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.
In the 20th century, a prominent figure was Victor Turetzky, an American cellist and educator who was born in 1935. He was a pioneer in the field of contemporary cello performance and made significant contributions to the expansion of the instrument's repertoire.
Additionally, the name Turetzky has been associated with various scholars and academics throughout history. One example is Mark Turetzky, an American mathematician and computer scientist who was born in 1933 and made notable contributions to the field of artificial intelligence.
It is worth noting that due to immigration patterns and the Diaspora of Eastern European communities, the Turetzky surname has spread to various parts of the world, including North America and Western Europe, over the past few centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turetzky
Among Census respondents with the surname Turetzky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Turetzky 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 Turetzky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turetzky
Turetzky 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+18 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,551 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-15 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,015 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 7,551 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 15,015 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 Turetzky 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 | #132,206 | #147,221 | -11.4% |
| Count | 128 | 113 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turetzky bearers went from 128 to 113 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 15,015 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #147,221.
FAQ
Turetzky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turetzky?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Turetzky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Turetzky?
Turetzky ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Turetzky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Turetzky.
Has Turetzky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turetzky went from 128 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Turetzky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turetzky, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Turetzky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turetzky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Turetzky (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 Turetzky mean?
A surname of Eastern European Jewish origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Turetzky (0.04 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 Turetzky?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.