Find out how popular the last name Turk is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Turk.

Turk, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Turk surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turk in America

Turk is the 3450th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turk surname appeared 10,354 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Turk.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turk to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Turk

The surname Turk is an English surname derived from the ethnic name for a person from Turkey or of Turkish descent. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when the name was likely used to refer to individuals who had come from the region of modern-day Turkey or had Turkish ancestry.

The name Turk is believed to have emerged in England during the time of the Crusades, when interactions between Europeans and people from the Middle East became more frequent. Crusaders and travelers from England may have encountered individuals from the region now known as Turkey, leading to the adoption of the term "Turk" as a descriptor or surname.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Turk can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from the year 1191, which mention a person named "William le Turk." This document suggests that the surname was already in use during the late 12th century in England.

In the 13th century, the surname Turk appeared in various historical records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of 1223, which reference a "Roger Turk." Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a "Robert le Turk" from Oxfordshire.

One notable figure with the surname Turk was Sir John Turk, a knight who lived during the 14th century. He served as a member of the royal household of King Edward III and was granted lands in Somerset and Dorset.

Another prominent individual bearing the surname Turk was Richard Turk, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the 15th century. He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed to the construction of several churches and chapels in the city.

In the 16th century, the surname Turk was associated with Sir Walter Turk, a courtier and diplomat during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as an ambassador to various European countries and was knighted for his services.

The surname Turk also has connections to place names in England, such as Turkdean in Gloucestershire and Turkville in Worcestershire, which may have contributed to the formation of the surname in those regions.

Throughout history, the surname Turk has been subject to various spelling variations, including Turke, Turcke, and Turck, reflecting the evolving nature of English orthography and regional variations in pronunciation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turk

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Turk.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Turk was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Turk has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Turk was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Turk, please contact us.

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