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

Turvey, 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 Turvey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Turvey in America

Turvey is the 28704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Turvey surname appeared 830 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 Turvey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Turvey 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 Turvey

The surname Turvey originates from England and dates back to the late 11th century. It is believed to have derived from the place name Turvey, a village located in the county of Bedfordshire. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "tor" meaning a tower or rocky hill, and "wig" meaning a village or settlement.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Turvey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Torrhoni." This entry suggests that the name was already established in the region around that time.

During the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records with spellings such as "Turuey" and "Turueye." It is likely that these variations were influenced by the local dialects and the scribes who transcribed the names.

In the 14th century, a notable figure with this surname was John Turvey, who was born in Turvey, Bedfordshire, around 1320. He served as a member of the English Parliament and was involved in local politics.

Another prominent individual was Sir William Turvey, who lived in the 15th century. He was a knight and landowner in Buckinghamshire, and his family had connections to the nearby village of Turvey.

During the 16th century, the surname appeared in various parish records, particularly in the counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire. One notable figure from this time was Robert Turvey, who was born in Turvey, Bedfordshire, in 1542. He was a scholar and author who wrote several works on theology and philosophy.

In the 17th century, the name Turvey was associated with the English Civil War. Captain Thomas Turvey, born in 1610, fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was involved in several battles.

Towards the end of the 18th century, a significant figure with this surname was Sir John Turvey, who was born in 1760 in Buckinghamshire. He was a successful merchant and philanthropist, known for his contributions to education and social causes in his local community.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Turvey

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

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

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

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