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

Turnbow, 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 Turnbow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turnbow in America

Turnbow is the 10792nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turnbow surname appeared 2,955 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Turnbow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turnbow 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 Turnbow

The surname Turnbow has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "turn" and "boga," which together mean "maker of bows or crossbows." This suggests that the name was originally an occupational surname given to someone whose trade was making bows or crossbows.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Staffordshire and Warwickshire. Some of the earliest spellings of the name included Turnbowe, Turnebowe, and Turneboghe, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Turnbow was John Turnbowe, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire in 1327. Another early reference can be found in the Warwickshire Feet of Fines from 1430, which mentions a William Turnebowe.

The Turnbow surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Turnbull in Northumberland and Turnbough in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the same root words as the surname, suggesting a connection between the name and specific locations.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the Turnbow surname. One such person was Richard Turnbow (1590-1668), an English Puritan clergyman and author who served as a minister in various parishes in Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

Another notable figure was John Turnbow (1623-1687), an English merchant and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southampton in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, there was Samuel Turnbow (1715-1792), a British engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and pumping machinery.

Moving into the 19th century, we find William Turnbow (1819-1898), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall.

Lastly, one of the more recent historical figures with the Turnbow surname was Alfred Turnbow (1885-1968), an English-born American author and journalist who wrote extensively about life in the American West during the early 20th century.

While the Turnbow surname may have originated as an occupational name, it has since become a well-established family name with a rich history spanning several centuries and various notable individuals who have carried this name throughout the years.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turnbow

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!