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

Turpen, 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 Turpen surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turpen in America

Turpen is the 16415th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turpen surname appeared 1,753 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 Turpen.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turpen 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 Turpen

The surname Turpen has its origins in the Old French word "tourpen," which means "ring-shaped cake." This name likely originated in the Normandy region of France during the medieval period, possibly as an occupational surname for a baker or seller of ring-shaped pastries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a Robert Turpen as a landholder in Oxfordshire, England. This suggests that the name had already been established in Normandy and was brought to England after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the name appears to have spread across various regions of England, with records showing instances in counties such as Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. Variations in spelling were common, with forms like Turpyn, Turpine, and Turpenne appearing in historical documents.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with the surname Turpen was John Turpen (c. 1300-1370), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Bristol, England. He served as a bailiff and was involved in local governance during a time when Bristol was a thriving port city.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Turpen (c. 1440-1510), a knight from Wiltshire who fought in the Wars of the Roses and was later appointed Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1492 by King Henry VII.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Turpen spread to other parts of the British Isles, with records showing instances in Scotland and Ireland. One notable example is Robert Turpen (1560-1630), a Scottish clergyman and author who served as the minister of Elgin Cathedral.

In the 18th century, the Turpen surname began to appear in North America, likely carried by early settlers from England and Scotland. One notable figure was Samuel Turpen (1725-1792), a colonial-era farmer and landowner in Virginia who served as a militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout its history, the Turpen surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Turpen's Green in Oxfordshire, England, and Turpen's Hill in Somerset, England, further solidifying its connection to specific geographic locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turpen

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

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

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

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