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

Turner, 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 Turner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turner in America

Turner is the 54th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turner surname appeared 348,627 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 118 people would have the surname Turner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turner 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 Turner

The surname Turner is an English occupational name that originated in the medieval period. It derives from the Old French word 'tourneor', which means 'one who turns or twists'. This refers to the occupation of a turner, someone who operated a lathe to shape wood, metal or other materials.

The earliest recorded use of the surname Turner dates back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire. It appears as 'Wibertus Tornur' in 1202. The name was also found in other early records, such as the Curia Regis Rolls of 1208, which mention 'Willelmus le Turner'.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with 'turner' in their names, such as 'Torneburn' in Warwickshire and 'Torneberie' in Hertfordshire. These place names likely derived from the occupation of a turner living in those areas.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Turner was William Turner (c. 1510-1568), an English botanist and naturalist who is often referred to as the "Father of English Botany". He published several influential works on plants and their medicinal properties.

Another prominent Turner was Sir James Turner (1615-1686), a Scottish soldier and writer who served in the Thirty Years' War and the English Civil War. He wrote an important memoir titled "Pallas Armata", which provided insights into military tactics and strategies of the time.

In the arts, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) was one of the most celebrated English Romantic painters. Known for his innovative use of light and color, he is considered one of the greatest landscape artists in history.

John Norman Turner (1829-1912) was a Canadian politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Canada from 1892 to 1896. He played a significant role in promoting free trade and strengthening ties between Canada and the United States.

Nat Turner (1800-1831) was an African-American enslaved person who led a famous slave rebellion in Virginia in 1831. Although the rebellion was ultimately suppressed, it became a powerful symbol in the abolitionist movement and the struggle against slavery.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turner

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

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

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

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