How common is the surname Turner?

348,627 people in the United States had the surname Turner in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 886 Americans. It ranked 54th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Turner?

Tina Turner, American-born Swiss singer and songwriter (1939–2023), followed by Ted Turner.

The surnameTurner

An English occupational surname, the 54th most common in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈtɝ.nɚ/ 2 syllables Soundex T656 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Turner is more common than 99.9% of them.

Origin

English origin

From Middle English Turner, Turnur, Turnure, Turnour, from Middle English turner, turnare, tornere, an occupational surname for a turner or tumbler.

Turner is an occupational surname: named after the work an ancestor did.

One of 1,446 English surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 348,627 people named Turner in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 886 Americans. That is up 3.9% since 2000, when the Census counted 335,663.

#54

rank among US surnames

348,627

people in 2010

118

per 100,000 Americans

+3.9%

change since 2000 (was #49)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#45	Hall	407,076	758
#46	Rivera	391,114	789
#47	Campbell	386,157	800
#48	Mitchell	384,486	803
#49	Carter	376,966	819
#50	Roberts	376,774	819
#51	Gomez	365,655	844

Who is named Turner

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

64% of people named Turner identified as white (not Hispanic), 30% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.4% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 64%
Black (not Hispanic) 30%
Two or more races 2.4%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.4%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Turners

83 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Tina Turner
American-born Swiss singer and songwriter (1939–2023)
Ted Turner
American media mogul (1938–2026)
Sophie Turner
British actress (born 1996)
Kathleen Turner
American actress (born 1954)
Lana Turner
American actress (1921–1995)
Ike Turner
American musician (1931–2007)
John Turner
17th Prime Minister of Canada (1929–2020)
Frederick Jackson Turner
American historian (1861-1932)
Matt Turner
American soccer player, born 1994
Big Joe Turner
American singer (1911–1985)
Joe Lynn Turner
American singer, born 1951
Bree Turner
American actress, born 1977

Notable Turners come mostly from the United States (59), Australia (10) and the United Kingdom (8).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Turner

Trainer

Turner has the Soundex code T656, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code T656.

Other English surnames

All 1,446 English surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Turner come from?: From Middle English Turner, Turnur, Turnure, Turnour, from Middle English turner, turnare, tornere, an occupational surname for a turner or tumbler.
How common is the surname Turner?: 348,627 people in the United States had the surname Turner in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 886 Americans. It ranked 54th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Turner?: In the 2010 Census, 64% of people named Turner identified as white (not Hispanic), and 30% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Turner?: Tina Turner, American-born Swiss singer and songwriter (1939–2023), followed by Ted Turner.