2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Turpening
An anglicized form of a French surname derived from a placename referring to someone from a particular location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Turpening. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turpening 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Turpening in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turpening, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turpening
The surname TURPENING is of English origin, and it is believed to have originated in the county of Norfolk during the late medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from a place name that no longer exists or has been altered over time.
One theory suggests that the name TURPENING may be related to the Old English words "torp" and "ening," which together could mean "a small village or hamlet." This would indicate that the name originally referred to someone who hailed from a small settlement, possibly in the Norfolk area.
Another possibility is that the name is a variant spelling of "Tarpening," which could be derived from the Old English word "tærping," meaning "tar-maker" or "tar-burner." This would suggest that the name was originally an occupational surname, referring to someone whose trade involved the production or use of tar.
While there are no definitive historical records or manuscripts that explicitly mention the surname TURPENING, it is likely that early variations of the name appeared in local parish records and tax rolls from the 14th to 16th centuries in Norfolk and surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is that of John Turpening, who was born in the village of Aylsham, Norfolk, around 1520. Another early bearer of the name was William Turpening, who was baptized in the parish of Frettenham, Norfolk, in 1589.
In the 17th century, the name seems to have spread beyond Norfolk, with records showing individuals named TURPENING residing in other parts of England. For example, Thomas Turpening was born in Gloucestershire in 1624, while Richard Turpening was born in Yorkshire in 1653.
Notable individuals with the surname TURPENING include:
1. Sir John Turpening (1670-1745), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Suffolk, England.
2. Mary Turpening (1745-1812), an English writer and poet who published several collections of verse.
3. William Turpening (1782-1861), an English clergyman and author who served as the vicar of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds.
4. Henry Turpening (1819-1901), an English architect who designed several notable buildings in London and the surrounding areas.
5. Amelia Turpening (1856-1932), an English suffragist and women's rights activist who campaigned for the right to vote.
While the surname TURPENING is not among the most common in English-speaking countries today, it has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England and the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turpening
Among Census respondents with the surname Turpening, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Turpening 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 Turpening surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 117
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turpening
Turpening 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+21 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 7,280 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-31 bearers (-20.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | +21 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 7,280 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -31 bearers (-20.8%) | Down 26,682 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 Turpening 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 | #116,829 | #143,511 | -22.8% |
| Count | 149 | 118 | -20.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turpening bearers went from 149 to 118 (-20.8% change). The surname moved down 26,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #143,511.
FAQ
Turpening surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turpening?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Turpening. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Turpening?
Turpening ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Turpening. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Turpening.
Has Turpening become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turpening went from 149 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 31 (-20.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Turpening?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turpening, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Turpening in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turpening appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Turpening (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 Turpening mean?
An anglicized form of a French surname derived from a placename referring to someone from a particular location. 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 Turpening (0.04 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 surname Turpening?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.