2000
#3,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Turk
A surname denoting a person of Turkish origin or ethnicity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,290 Americans carry the last name Turk. That puts it at #3,537 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,359 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turk 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 Turk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,359
Census rank
#3,537
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.8K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,845 bearers of the surname Turk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3537th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turk
Among Census respondents with the surname Turk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Turk 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 Turk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 8,089
- Black or African American9.6% · 947
- Two or more races3.5% · 347
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 306
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turk
Turk 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
#3,450
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,354
+333 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 3.51
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#3,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,845
-509 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.29
Rank movement Down 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,277 | 10,021 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,450 | 10,354 | 3.51 | +333 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #3,537 | 9,845 | 3.29 | -509 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 87 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 Turk 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 | #3,450 | #3,537 | -2.5% |
| Count | 10,354 | 9,845 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.51 | 3.29 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turk bearers went from 10,354 to 9,845 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,450 to #3,537.
FAQ
Turk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turk?
Name Census estimates that about 11,290 living Americans carry the surname Turk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,359 residents.
How common is Turk?
Turk ranks #3,537 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.29 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,845 people with the surname Turk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,290), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.29 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Turk.
Has Turk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turk went from 10,354 recorded bearers to 9,845. That is a decrease of 509 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,450 to #3,537.
What does the Census say about the background of Turk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turk, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Turk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (8,089 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (9.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Turk (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 Turk mean?
A surname denoting a person of Turkish origin or ethnicity. 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 Turk (3.29 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 Turk?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.