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

Turrentine, 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 Turrentine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turrentine in America

Turrentine is the 17337th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turrentine surname appeared 1,630 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 Turrentine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turrentine 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 Turrentine

The surname Turrentine has its origins in southern France and northern Italy, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the French word "tourente," which referred to a mountain stream or torrent. The name may have initially been bestowed upon someone who lived near a fast-flowing stream or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Lérins, a medieval manuscript from the 13th century, where it appears as "de Tourentin." This suggests that the name may have also been associated with a specific location or place name.

In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "Turrentin" and "Turrentyn," began to emerge in various records and documents from the regions of Provence and Piedmont. These spellings likely reflect the evolution of the name over time and across different dialects.

One notable individual bearing the surname was Jean Turrentin (1501-1572), a French Protestant theologian and author from Geneva. His works, including "Institutio Theologicae Elencticae," played a significant role in shaping Reformed theology during the Reformation period.

Another prominent figure was François Turrentin (1623-1687), a Swiss-Italian Protestant theologian and professor at the Academy of Geneva. His three-volume work, "Institutio Theologiae Elencticae," was widely influential in Reformed circles and remained a standard text for theological education for several decades.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, including the British Isles. Records from this period show individuals with the surname "Turrentine" residing in England and Scotland.

One such individual was Robert Turrentine (1648-1719), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of Newton's theory of gravitation and made significant advancements in the field of celestial mechanics.

As the name continued to disperse, it eventually found its way to the Americas through various waves of immigration. In the 18th century, John Turrentine (1737-1805), a notable figure in the American Revolutionary War, served as a captain in the Continental Army and later became a prominent landowner and politician in North Carolina.

Throughout its history, the surname Turrentine has maintained a strong presence, with individuals bearing this name making notable contributions across various fields, from theology and academia to military service and politics.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turrentine

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

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

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

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