2000
#49
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 335,663
First available Census row
Per 100,000 124.43
Common Last name
Turner
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with a lathe to shape wood or metal objects.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 382,447 Americans carry the last name Turner. That puts it at #57 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 111.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turner 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 Turner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
382K
1 in 896
Census rank
#57
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
111.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
334K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 333,512 bearers of the surname Turner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 111.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 57th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turner, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turner
Among Census respondents with the surname Turner, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Turner 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 Turner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.9% · 206,541
- Black or African American29.0% · 96,801
- Two or more races4.7% · 15,748
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 10,743
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,845
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,834
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turner
Turner 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
#54
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 348,627
+12,964 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 118.19
Rank movement Down 5 places
2020
#57
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 333,512
-15,115 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 111.58
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #49 | 335,663 | 124.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #54 | 348,627 | 118.19 | +12,964 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 5 places |
| 2020 | #57 | 333,512 | 111.58 | -15,115 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 3 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 Turner 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 | #54 | #57 | -5.6% |
| Count | 348,627 | 333,512 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 118.19 | 111.58 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turner bearers went from 348,627 to 333,512 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #54 to #57.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Turner
FAQ
Turner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turner?
Name Census estimates that about 382,447 living Americans carry the surname Turner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 896 residents.
How common is Turner?
Turner ranks #57 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 111.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 112 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 333,512 people with the surname Turner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (382,447), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 111.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 111.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 112 of them to have the surname Turner.
Has Turner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turner went from 348,627 recorded bearers to 333,512. That is a decrease of 15,115 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #54 to #57.
What does the Census say about the background of Turner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turner, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.9%. The next largest groups are Black (29.0%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Turner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.9% (206,541 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.9%), Black (29.0%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Turner (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 Turner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who worked with a lathe to shape wood or metal objects. 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 Turner (111.58 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 Turner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.