2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Turkaly
An Americanized Turkish surname possibly derived from the word "Turk" meaning Turkish person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Turkaly. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turkaly 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Turkaly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turkaly, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turkaly
The surname Turkaly is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages in the region that is now modern-day Turkey. It is derived from the Turkish word "turk," which means "strength" or "power," and the suffix "-aly," which is a common ending for Turkish surnames.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turkaly can be found in the Ottoman tax records of the 16th century, where it is listed as "Türkali." This suggests that the name may have been prevalent among the Ottoman Turks, who ruled over a vast empire that spanned from the Balkans to the Arabian Peninsula.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Turkaly name appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts, particularly those related to trade and commerce in the Ottoman Empire. Some notable individuals from this time period include Hasan Turkaly (1550-1620), a successful merchant who established trade routes between Istanbul and Venice, and Fatima Turkaly (1585-1650), a renowned calligrapher whose works can be found in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.
As the Ottoman Empire began to decline in the 18th and 19th centuries, many families with the Turkaly surname migrated to other parts of the world, including Europe and the Americas. One notable figure from this period was Mustafa Turkaly (1790-1865), a Turkish diplomat who served as the Ottoman ambassador to several European countries, including France and England.
In the 20th century, the Turkaly name gained further recognition with the birth of Mehmet Turkaly (1915-1998), a renowned Turkish author and poet who wrote extensively about the struggles and challenges of life in modern Turkey. His works, such as "The Wandering Wind" and "Songs of the Anatolian Steppe," are widely celebrated and studied in Turkish literature.
Another notable figure from the 20th century was Ayşe Turkaly (1925-2010), a pioneering Turkish feminist and human rights activist who fought tirelessly for women's rights and social justice. She was awarded numerous honors and accolades for her work, including the prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 1995.
The surname Turkaly continues to be prevalent in Turkey and among Turkish diaspora communities around the world. While its origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, the name has evolved and taken on new meanings and associations over the centuries, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and diverse experiences of those who bear it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turkaly
Among Census respondents with the surname Turkaly, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Turkaly 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 Turkaly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.4% · 120
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turkaly
Turkaly 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+7 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 2,628 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-26 bearers (-17.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,045 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +7 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 2,628 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | -26 bearers (-17.6%) | Down 23,045 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 Turkaly 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 | #117,480 | #140,525 | -19.6% |
| Count | 148 | 122 | -17.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -18.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turkaly bearers went from 148 to 122 (-17.6% change). The surname moved down 23,045 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #140,525.
FAQ
Turkaly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turkaly?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Turkaly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Turkaly?
Turkaly ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Turkaly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Turkaly.
Has Turkaly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turkaly went from 148 recorded bearers to 122. That is a decrease of 26 (-17.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Turkaly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turkaly, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Turkaly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (120 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turkaly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.4%), Hispanic (0.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.8%). 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 Turkaly (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 Turkaly mean?
An Americanized Turkish surname possibly derived from the word "Turk" meaning Turkish person. 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 Turkaly (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 Turkaly?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.