2000
#6,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Turman
Derived from the Middle English term "turman," an occupational name for a translator or interpreter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,313 Americans carry the last name Turman. That puts it at #6,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turman 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 Turman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,512
Census rank
#6,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,633 bearers of the surname Turman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turman, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turman
The surname TURMAN is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "turmant," which referred to a "turmoil" or "tumult." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was perceived as being boisterous or disruptive.
The earliest recorded instances of the TURMAN surname date back to the 13th century, with references found in various parish records and tax rolls from counties such as Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. One notable early bearer of the name was John Turman, a landowner from the village of Burford, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the TURMAN name gained prominence in the southern counties of England, particularly in the regions of Wiltshire and Dorset. Records from this period include instances of the name being spelled as "Turmaine," "Turmayne," or "Turmaine," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common before standardization.
In the late 17th century, a branch of the TURMAN family settled in the town of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, where they established themselves as successful cloth merchants. One notable figure from this lineage was Thomas TURMAN (1654-1721), a prominent businessman and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and almshouses in the area.
Another noteworthy TURMAN was Sir Edward TURMAN (1776-1848), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted for his bravery in the Battle of Trafalgar and later rose to the rank of Admiral.
In the 19th century, the TURMAN name gained recognition in the field of literature with the poet and essayist John TURMAN (1810-1887), whose works explored themes of nature and the English countryside.
As the TURMAN family dispersed throughout England and beyond, the name also took root in other parts of the world. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the TURMAN surname can be found in the historical records of Virginia, where a family by the name of TURMAN settled in the late 17th century after emigrating from England.
Throughout its history, the surname TURMAN has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, from landowners and merchants to military officers and literary figures. While the name's origins may have been rooted in a descriptive nickname, it has evolved to become a respected and enduring surname with a rich heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turman
Among Census respondents with the surname Turman, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Turman 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 Turman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 2,939
- Black or African American26.6% · 1,233
- Two or more races5.1% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 142
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turman
Turman 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
#6,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,155
+220 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#6,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,633
-522 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 420 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,350 | 4,935 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,570 | 5,155 | 1.75 | +220 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #6,990 | 4,633 | 1.55 | -522 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 420 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 Turman 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 | #6,570 | #6,990 | -6.4% |
| Count | 5,155 | 4,633 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.55 | -11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turman bearers went from 5,155 to 4,633 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 420 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,570 to #6,990.
FAQ
Turman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,313 living Americans carry the surname Turman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,512 residents.
How common is Turman?
Turman ranks #6,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,633 people with the surname Turman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,313), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Turman.
Has Turman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turman went from 5,155 recorded bearers to 4,633. That is a decrease of 522 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,570 to #6,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Turman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turman, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (26.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Turman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (2,939 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (26.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Turman (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 Turman mean?
Derived from the Middle English term "turman," an occupational name for a translator or interpreter. 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 Turman (1.55 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 are called Turman?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Turman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.