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

Turnage, 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 Turnage surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turnage in America

Turnage is the 5911th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turnage surname appeared 5,831 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Turnage.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turnage 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 Turnage

The surname Turnage is of English origin, originating in the county of Devon in the southwest of England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "tyrnan" meaning "to turn" and "hege" meaning "hedge" or "enclosure". This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked at a turnstile or gate.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name appears to be from the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was written as "Turneheg". This ancient record provides evidence of the name's existence in England during the Norman Conquest.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name was found in various forms, such as Turnehegge, Turnhegge, and Turnage. These variations reflect the evolving spelling conventions of the time.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Turnage, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Somerset in 1207. Another early record is of William Turnage, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.

In the 16th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals. Sir John Turnage (1523-1594) was a prominent English lawyer and judge who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. Meanwhile, Thomas Turnage (1564-1631) was an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Case of Conscience".

Moving into the 17th century, we find Edward Turnage (1617-1676), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford during the Commonwealth period. Later, in the 18th century, there was William Turnage (1742-1803), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War.

One of the most notable figures with this surname was Joseph Turnage (1815-1892), an American politician and lawyer from North Carolina. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and played a significant role in the establishment of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Other historical figures with the surname Turnage include John Turnage (1857-1923), an English cricketer who played for Somerset County Cricket Club, and William Turnage (1868-1933), an American businessman and philanthropist from Missouri.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turnage

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

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 Turnage 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 Turnage 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 Turnage was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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