2000
#15,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,799
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Turnquist
A Swedish occupational surname derived from the words "törne" (thorn) and "qvist" (branch), likely referring to someone who worked with thorny twigs or branches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,113 Americans carry the last name Turnquist. That puts it at #15,331 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turnquist 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,212
Census rank
#15,331
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,843 bearers of the surname Turnquist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15331st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turnquist
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Turnquist 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 Turnquist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,671
- Black or African American3.1% · 58
- Two or more races2.7% · 49
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turnquist
Turnquist 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
#15,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,849
+50 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 717 places
2020
#15,331
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,843
-6 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 432 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,046 | 1,799 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,763 | 1,849 | 0.63 | +50 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 717 places |
| 2020 | #15,331 | 1,843 | 0.62 | -6 bearers (-0.3%) | Up 432 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 Turnquist 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 | #15,763 | #15,331 | 2.7% |
| Count | 1,849 | 1,843 | -0.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.62 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turnquist bearers went from 1,849 to 1,843 (-0.3% change). The surname moved up 432 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,763 to #15,331.
FAQ
Turnquist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turnquist?
Name Census estimates that about 2,113 living Americans carry the surname Turnquist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,212 residents.
How common is Turnquist?
Turnquist ranks #15,331 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,843 people with the surname Turnquist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Turnquist.
Has Turnquist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turnquist went from 1,849 recorded bearers to 1,843. That is a decrease of 6 (-0.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,763 to #15,331.
What does the Census say about the background of Turnquist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnquist, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Turnquist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turnquist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Black (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Turnquist (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 Turnquist mean?
A Swedish occupational surname derived from the words "törne" (thorn) and "qvist" (branch), likely referring to someone who worked with thorny twigs or branches. 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 Turnquist (0.62 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 people have the last name Turnquist?
Find out how many people are called Turnquist on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.