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

Turnquist, 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 Turnquist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turnquist in America

Turnquist is the 15763rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turnquist surname appeared 1,849 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 Turnquist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turnquist 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 Turnquist

The surname Turnquist has its origins in Sweden and is thought to have emerged in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Swedish words "torn" meaning tower and "qvist" meaning branch or twig, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near a tower covered in branches or twigs.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turnquist can be found in the Swedish Census Records of 1680, where a Johan Turnquist is listed as a resident of Stockholm. The name also appears in various church records from the 17th and 18th centuries in the regions of Småland and Västergötland.

In the 19th century, the name Turnquist started to spread beyond Sweden as immigrants began arriving in North America. One notable figure was Lars Turnquist, a Swedish-born farmer who settled in Minnesota in 1868 and became a prominent figure in the local Swedish community.

Another individual of note was Ida Turnquist (1865-1931), a Swedish-American educator and activist who played a significant role in establishing the first kindergarten in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was also involved in the women's suffrage movement and worked tirelessly to improve educational opportunities for children.

In the early 20th century, a branch of the Turnquist family settled in California, where they became involved in the burgeoning film industry. One member of this family, Erik Turnquist (1892-1968), worked as a set designer and art director for several major Hollywood studios, contributing to numerous classic films of the era.

Another notable Turnquist was the Swedish author and playwright Greta Turnquist (1901-1987), whose works often explored themes of social inequality and the struggles of working-class families. Her plays were widely performed in Sweden and garnered critical acclaim.

While the Turnquist name is not as common as some other Swedish surnames, it has left its mark on various fields throughout history, from agriculture and education to the arts and entertainment industry.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turnquist

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

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

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

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