2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Turrieta
A surname likely of Italian origin referring to someone from a small town or estate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Turrieta. 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 Turrieta 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 Turrieta 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 Turrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.4%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turrieta
The surname Turrieta has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southern France. It is believed to have derived from the Basque word "turri," which means tower or castle, and the suffix "-eta," denoting a place or location. This suggests that the name may have originated from a specific place or settlement associated with a tower or fortified structure.
Records from the 13th century mention individuals with the surname Turrieta or similar spellings like Torrieta or Torreta in the provinces of Gipuzkoa and Navarra. Some of the earliest known bearers of this name were likely linked to the ownership or governance of local towers or castles in these areas.
One of the earliest documented references to the Turrieta surname dates back to 1328, when a nobleman named Juan de Turrieta was mentioned in a land grant from the Kingdom of Navarre. Another notable figure was Martín Turrieta, a military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors during the 15th century.
The name Turrieta has also been associated with various place names in the Basque region, such as the village of Turrieta in the municipality of Barakaldo, Biscay. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their connection to these locations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Turrieta surname. One example is Pedro de Turrieta (1533-1602), a Basque philosopher and author who wrote extensively on topics related to theology and ethics. Another significant figure was Andrés de Turrieta (1678-1742), a renowned architect who designed several important buildings in the city of Pamplona, including the Church of San Cernin.
In the 19th century, Juan José Turrieta (1821-1887) was a prominent politician and lawyer from Navarre, serving as a member of the Spanish parliament. Additionally, Ignacio Turrieta (1892-1976) was a celebrated Basque writer and poet, known for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of the Basque language and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turrieta
Among Census respondents with the surname Turrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.4%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Turrieta 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 Turrieta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino75.4% · 89
- White19.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turrieta
Turrieta 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+22 bearers (+22.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,109 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +22 bearers (+22.0%) | Up 13,109 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,184 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 Turrieta 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 | #137,327 | #143,511 | -4.5% |
| Count | 122 | 118 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turrieta bearers went from 122 to 118 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #143,511.
FAQ
Turrieta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turrieta?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Turrieta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Turrieta?
Turrieta 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 Turrieta. 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 Turrieta.
Has Turrieta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turrieta went from 122 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Turrieta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turrieta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 75.4%. The next largest groups are White (19.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Turrieta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turrieta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (75.4%), White (19.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%). 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 Turrieta (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 Turrieta mean?
A surname likely of Italian origin referring to someone from a small town or estate. 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 Turrieta (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 share the surname Turrieta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.