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

Turtle, 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 Turtle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turtle in America

Turtle is the 61123rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turtle surname appeared 329 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 Turtle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turtle 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 Turtle

The surname "Turtle" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the late medieval period or the early modern era. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "turtle," which was used to refer to the reptile we know today as the turtle.

This surname may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who exhibited characteristics reminiscent of a turtle, such as being slow-moving or having a tendency to retreat into their shell. Alternatively, it could have been an occupational name for someone who caught or traded in turtles.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "Turtle" can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, where a man named John Turtle was listed as a resident in the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the records of the East India Company, where a merchant named Richard Turtle is mentioned as having traded in spices and other goods from the East Indies.

A notable figure with the surname "Turtle" was Sir William Turtle (1615-1677), an English politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis during the reign of Charles II.

Another individual of note was Thomas Turtle (1705-1783), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.

In the 19th century, the surname "Turtle" can be found in various census records and parish registers across England. One such person was Samuel Turtle (1819-1901), a prominent industrialist and textile manufacturer from Lancashire.

As the name "Turtle" is relatively uncommon, it is worth mentioning a few other individuals who bore this surname throughout history, such as William Turtle (1822-1892), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, and Emily Turtle (1876-1958), a pioneering female journalist and suffragette.

While the surname "Turtle" may have originated as a descriptive nickname or occupational name, it has since evolved into a distinctive family name with a rich history spanning several centuries in England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turtle

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

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

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

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