2000
#88,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 196
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Turnure
A locational surname derived from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 189 Americans carry the last name Turnure. That puts it at #113,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,813,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turnure 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
189
1 in 1,813,515
Census rank
#113,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
165
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 165 bearers of the surname Turnure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnure, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turnure
The surname Turnure is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the northern regions of Normandy and Picardy, during the medieval period. The name is derived from the Old French words "tour" and "nur," which together mean "tower-dweller" or "one who lives near the tower."
In the early Middle Ages, towers were often constructed for defensive purposes or as part of fortified manors and castles. It is likely that the Turnure surname was initially given to someone who lived in proximity to such a tower, possibly serving as a guard or watchman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Turnure name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Radulfus de Turna" is listed among the landholders in Lincolnshire.
During the 12th century, a notable figure named Robert de Turnebu (c. 1130-1194) served as a Norman nobleman and Lord of Tourneville in Normandy. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from that era.
In the 13th century, a variant spelling, "Turnor," appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, a survey of landholders conducted in 1279. This suggests that the name had already begun to evolve into different spellings by that time.
Another notable individual with the Turnure surname was Sir John Turnure (c. 1400-1468), a knight and landowner from Warwickshire, England. He served as a Member of Parliament and was involved in the Wars of the Roses, supporting the House of York.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named William Turnure (c. 1540-1605) was a wealthy merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was actively involved in trade and commerce during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, the Turnure surname found its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Turnure, who settled in Virginia in 1635.
Throughout history, the Turnure surname has been associated with various places, such as Tourneville in Normandy, from which the name may have derived, and Tournure, a village in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turnure
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnure, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Turnure 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 Turnure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 160
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turnure
Turnure 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
#99,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
-14 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 11,295 places
2020
#113,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
-17 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 13,648 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #88,083 | 196 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,378 | 182 | 0.06 | -14 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 11,295 places |
| 2020 | #113,026 | 165 | 0.06 | -17 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 13,648 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 Turnure 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 | #99,378 | #113,026 | -13.7% |
| Count | 182 | 165 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turnure bearers went from 182 to 165 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 13,648 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,378 to #113,026.
FAQ
Turnure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turnure?
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the surname Turnure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,813,515 residents.
How common is Turnure?
Turnure ranks #113,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 165 people with the surname Turnure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Turnure.
Has Turnure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turnure went from 182 recorded bearers to 165. That is a decrease of 17 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #99,378 to #113,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Turnure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turnure, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.2%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Turnure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (160 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turnure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Two or More Races (1.2%), Black (0.6%). 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 Turnure (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 Turnure mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in France. 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 Turnure (0.06 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 common is the surname Turnure?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Turnure at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.