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

Turow, 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 Turow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turow in America

Turow is the 156044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turow surname appeared 104 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Turow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turow 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 Turow

The surname Turow has its origins in Poland, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Polish word "tur," which means an aurochs, a species of wild ox that once roamed the forests of Eastern and Central Europe.

Some historical accounts suggest that the name Turow may have been originally associated with those who lived near or worked with these wild oxen, possibly as hunters or guides. In the early medieval period, surnames were often derived from occupations, geographical locations, or personal characteristics.

The earliest known record of the name Turow can be found in a manuscript dated 1187, which mentions a nobleman named Mikolaj Turow who owned lands in the region of what is now western Poland. This suggests that the name had already become established as a surname by the late 12th century.

Over the centuries, various spellings of the name emerged, such as Turów, Turau, and Turoń, reflecting regional dialects and orthographic variations. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the names of places like Turobin, a town in eastern Poland, or Turów, a village in western Poland.

Notable individuals with the surname Turow include Jan Turow (1490-1554), a Polish priest and author who wrote a treatise on the customs and traditions of the Polish nobility. Another prominent figure was Stanisław Turow (1614-1678), a Polish military commander who fought in the Smolensk War against Russia.

In the 19th century, Józef Turow (1810-1876) was a respected Polish historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. More recently, Scott Turow (born 1949) is an American author best known for his legal thriller novels, including "Presumed Innocent" and "The Burden of Proof."

While the name Turow has its roots in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, its historical significance and connection to the wild aurochs of Central and Eastern Europe remain an integral part of its fascinating etymology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turow

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

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

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

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