2000
#5,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.06
Rare Last name
Turnage
Derived from a place name meaning "thorny hedge" in Old English, likely referring to a person who lived nearby.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,396 Americans carry the last name Turnage. That puts it at #5,944 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,589 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turnage 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
6.4K
1 in 53,589
Census rank
#5,944
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,578 bearers of the surname Turnage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5944th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnage, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turnage
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnage, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Turnage 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 Turnage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.1% · 3,522
- Black or African American28.9% · 1,614
- Two or more races4.0% · 223
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turnage
Turnage 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
#5,911
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,831
+264 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#5,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,578
-253 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.87
Rank movement Down 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,709 | 5,567 | 2.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,911 | 5,831 | 1.98 | +264 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #5,944 | 5,578 | 1.87 | -253 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 33 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 Turnage 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 | #5,911 | #5,944 | -0.6% |
| Count | 5,831 | 5,578 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.87 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turnage bearers went from 5,831 to 5,578 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,911 to #5,944.
FAQ
Turnage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turnage?
Name Census estimates that about 6,396 living Americans carry the surname Turnage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,589 residents.
How common is Turnage?
Turnage ranks #5,944 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.87 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 5,578 people with the surname Turnage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.87 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 Turnage.
Has Turnage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turnage went from 5,831 recorded bearers to 5,578. That is a decrease of 253 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,911 to #5,944.
What does the Census say about the background of Turnage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnage, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Turnage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (3,522 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turnage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.1%), Black (28.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Turnage (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 Turnage mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "thorny hedge" in Old English, likely referring to a person who lived nearby. 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 Turnage (1.87 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 have the surname Turnage?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.