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Turner Family History

Turner Surname Meaning

English: occupational name from Middle English t(o)urnour turner ‘turner’ (Old French to(u)rn(e)our) mainly denoting someone who fashioned small objects of wood, metal, or bone on a lathe but also a variety of other occupations including turnspit and translator or interpreter. This surname may have become confused with Toner. In North America, it is also very common among African Americans.

English: occasionally perhaps a nickname from Middle English turn-hare, a compound of Middle English tournen ‘to turn, direct, steer’ + hare ‘hare’; a name for someone in charge of the greyhounds in hare coursing or an exaggerated compliment for someone who could run fast. See also Turnbull.

English: perhaps also from Middle English t(o)urn(e)our ‘jouster, one who takes part in a tournament’ (Old French tornoieor, tournoieur). South German (rarely Türner): occupational name for a guard in a tower or a topographic name from an agent derivative of Middle High German turn ‘tower’. Compare Thurner.

South German (rarely Türner): habitational name for someone from any of various places called Thurn, for example, in Austria. Compare Thurner. Slovenian and Croatian: regional occupational or topographic name from tur(e)n, a loanword from German (see 4 above).

Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): habitational name from a place called Turno or Turna in Poland and Belarus, or from the city of Tarnów (Yiddish Turne) in Poland. Americanized form (translation into English) of any of various like-sounding Jewish surnames or names with similar meaning.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Turner family from?

You can see how Turner families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Turner family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Turner families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 513 Turner families living in New York. This was about 13% of all the recorded Turner's in USA. New York had the highest population of Turner families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Turner surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Turner ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer and Maid were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Turner. 17% of Turner men worked as a Laborer and 8% of Turner women worked as a Maid. Some less common occupations for Americans named Turner were Truck Driver and Housewife.

View Census Data for Turner | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    17%
  • Farmer
    17%
  • Salesman
    4%
  • Truck Driver
    3%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Maid
    8%
  • Housekeeper
    6%
  • Cook
    6%
  • Housewife
    6%

What Turner family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 2 million census records available for the last name Turner. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Turner census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Turner

Passenger Lists

There are 388,000 immigration records available for the last name Turner. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

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Draft Cards

There are 377,000 military records available for the last name Turner. For the veterans among your Turner ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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