2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Turja
An occupational surname from the Finnish language meaning a furbearing animal hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Turja. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turja 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Turja in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turja, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (45.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turja
The surname TURJA is of Finnish origin, emerging during the medieval period in the region of Savonia, located in the eastern part of modern-day Finland. It is believed to derive from the Finnish word "turja," which translates to "shaggy" or "bushy," potentially referring to a person's physical appearance or perhaps indicating a connection to the forestry or woodlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Finnish parish records from the 16th century, where a farmer named Matti Turja is mentioned. This suggests that the name had already established itself as a recognized surname by that time. Additionally, variations such as Turjanen and Turjalainen are found in historical documents, which likely originated from the same root word.
During the 17th century, the name TURJA can be traced to the village of Turja in the municipality of Kiuruvesi, situated in the Northern Savonia region. This village may have been named after an individual bearing the surname or could have influenced the surname's adoption by local inhabitants.
Notable figures throughout history who carried the TURJA surname include:
1. Antti Turja (1816-1884), a Finnish farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the development of agriculture in the Savonia region.
2. Juho Turja (1872-1941), a Finnish politician and member of the Finnish Parliament, representing the Agrarian League Party.
3. Aili Turja (1906-1988), a Finnish artist known for her landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of Finland.
4. Esko Turja (1922-2002), a Finnish historian and author who wrote extensively about the history and culture of the Savonia region.
5. Maija Turja (born 1951), a prominent Finnish educator and researcher in the field of early childhood education.
While the TURJA surname is relatively uncommon outside of Finland, it has left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical fabric of the country, particularly in the eastern regions where it originated and continues to be prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turja
Among Census respondents with the surname Turja, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (45.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Turja 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 Turja surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.9% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino45.4% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turja
Turja appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+18 bearers (+17.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 16,924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+17.8%) | Up 16,924 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 Turja 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 | #159,712 | #142,788 | 10.6% |
| Count | 101 | 119 | 17.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 32.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turja bearers went from 101 to 119 (+17.8% change). The surname moved up 16,924 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #142,788.
FAQ
Turja surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turja?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Turja. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Turja?
Turja ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Turja. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Turja.
Has Turja become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turja went from 101 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 18 (+17.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Turja?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turja, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (45.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Turja in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (57 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turja appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.9%), Hispanic (45.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%). 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 Turja (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 Turja mean?
An occupational surname from the Finnish language meaning a furbearing animal hunter. 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 Turja (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 Americans have the surname Turja?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.