2000
#8,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,528
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Turgeon
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of traditional headdresses or hats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,875 Americans carry the last name Turgeon. That puts it at #9,253 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,453 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turgeon 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
3.9K
1 in 88,453
Census rank
#9,253
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,379 bearers of the surname Turgeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9253rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turgeon
The surname Turgeon originated in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "tourjon," which means "young bull" or "young ox." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname given to someone who worked with cattle or oxen, such as a farmer or a drover.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turgeon can be found in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named "Turgius" who held land in Oxfordshire, England.
In the 13th century, a noble family by the name of Turgeon resided in the village of Turgy, near the city of Bourges in central France. This village likely took its name from the Turgeon family, indicating their prominence in the area.
A notable individual with the surname Turgeon was Jean Turgeon, a French merchant and explorer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the indigenous peoples of what is now Canada.
In the 17th century, a French soldier named Pierre Turgeon fought in the Thirty Years' War and later settled in the colony of New France (present-day Quebec, Canada). He is considered one of the earliest bearers of the Turgeon name in North America.
During the French Revolution in the late 18th century, a lawyer named Jacques Turgeon was a member of the Estates-General and advocated for the rights of the Third Estate (commoners). He was born in 1744 and died in 1817.
Another notable figure with the Turgeon surname was Pierre-Édouard Turgeon, a Canadian politician who served as Premier of Quebec from 1887 to 1890. He was born in 1834 and passed away in 1917.
Throughout history, the Turgeon name has been associated with various occupations and professions, including agriculture, military service, law, and politics. Despite its French origins, it has spread to other parts of the world, particularly to North America, where it continues to be a prominent surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turgeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Turgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Turgeon 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 Turgeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 3,087
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 140
- Two or more races3.1% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 19
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turgeon
Turgeon 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
#8,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,635
+107 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#9,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,379
-256 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,586 | 3,528 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,999 | 3,635 | 1.23 | +107 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #9,253 | 3,379 | 1.13 | -256 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 254 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 Turgeon 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 | #8,999 | #9,253 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,635 | 3,379 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.13 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turgeon bearers went from 3,635 to 3,379 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,999 to #9,253.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Turgeon
FAQ
Turgeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turgeon?
Name Census estimates that about 3,875 living Americans carry the surname Turgeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,453 residents.
How common is Turgeon?
Turgeon ranks #9,253 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 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 3,379 people with the surname Turgeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,875), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 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 Turgeon.
Has Turgeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turgeon went from 3,635 recorded bearers to 3,379. That is a decrease of 256 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,999 to #9,253.
What does the Census say about the background of Turgeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turgeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Turgeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (3,087 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turgeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Turgeon (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 Turgeon mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of traditional headdresses or hats. 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 Turgeon (1.13 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 Turgeon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.