2000
#4,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,067
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Turnbull
A Scottish and Northern English occupational surname referring to a person who operated a spinning lathe.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,338 Americans carry the last name Turnbull. That puts it at #4,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turnbull 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 Turnbull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,705
Census rank
#4,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,143 bearers of the surname Turnbull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turnbull
The surname Turnbull originated in Scotland in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "turn" meaning a circular defensive structure, and "bul" meaning a stream or rivulet. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a circular defensive structure by a stream.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which list those who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England after his conquest of parts of Scotland. The rolls mention one Walter Turnebull from Roxburghshire.
The Turnbulls were a prominent border clan in the Scottish-English border region. They held lands in Roxburghshire and Selkirkshire, particularly around the area of Rule Water. The family's stronghold was Barnhill Castle near Hawick.
In the 14th century, the Turnbulls were involved in many border skirmishes and feuds with other clans like the Douglases and the Scotts. One notable member was William Turnbull, who was killed in a raid by the Douglas clan in 1417.
During the 16th century, the Turnbulls were considered one of the most notorious reiving (raiding) families on the borders. Their exploits were recorded in the ballad "The Sang of the Outlaw Murray" and in Sir Walter Scott's novel "The Monastery".
Notable Turnbulls throughout history include George Turnbull (1616-1657), an English clergyman and religious writer; William Turnbull (1679-1743), a Scottish mathematician and physician; and Robert Turnbull (1909-1998), a British journalist and author known for his coverage of World War II.
Other famous individuals with the surname include Malcolm Turnbull (born 1954), the former Prime Minister of Australia; Watt Key Turnbull (1904-1992), a Scottish-American architect; and Grace Turnbull (1880-1976), an American academic and suffragist.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turnbull
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Turnbull 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 Turnbull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.3% · 6,699
- Black or African American8.7% · 707
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 320
- Two or more races3.9% · 315
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 43
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turnbull
Turnbull 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
#4,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,320
+253 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 218 places
2020
#4,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,143
-177 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Up 48 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,049 | 8,067 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,267 | 8,320 | 2.82 | +253 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 218 places |
| 2020 | #4,219 | 8,143 | 2.72 | -177 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 48 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 Turnbull 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 | #4,267 | #4,219 | 1.1% |
| Count | 8,320 | 8,143 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.72 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turnbull bearers went from 8,320 to 8,143 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 48 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,267 to #4,219.
FAQ
Turnbull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turnbull?
Name Census estimates that about 9,338 living Americans carry the surname Turnbull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,705 residents.
How common is Turnbull?
Turnbull ranks #4,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,143 people with the surname Turnbull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Turnbull.
Has Turnbull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turnbull went from 8,320 recorded bearers to 8,143. That is a decrease of 177 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,267 to #4,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Turnbull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnbull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.3%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Turnbull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.3% (6,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turnbull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.3%), Black (8.7%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Turnbull (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 Turnbull mean?
A Scottish and Northern English occupational surname referring to a person who operated a spinning lathe. 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 Turnbull (2.72 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 Turnbull?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.