2000
#7,198
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Torre
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in or near a tower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,383 Americans carry the last name Torre. That puts it at #8,298 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Torre 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Torre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 78,201
Census rank
#8,298
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,822 bearers of the surname Torre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8298th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Torre, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Torre
The surname Torre originated from Italy, deriving from the Italian word "torre," meaning "tower." It was commonly used as a surname in various regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions, such as Lombardy and Veneto, as early as the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Torre was often associated with families who owned or lived near towers or fortified structures. In some cases, it was a descriptive surname given to individuals residing in or near a prominent tower. The name's earliest recorded instances can be traced back to medieval Italian records and documents.
One notable historical reference is found in the "Codice Diplomatico Longobardo," a collection of Lombard charters from the 8th to the 12th centuries, where the name Torre appears in various forms, such as "de Turre" and "della Torre."
In the 14th century, the della Torre family, a prominent noble family from Milan, played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the city. Members of this family, such as Napo della Torre (1286-1347), a renowned military leader and politician, and Guido della Torre (fl. 1320s), a jurist and philosopher, gained prominence during this period.
Another notable figure was Gianfrancesco Della Torre (1470-1534), an Italian architect and military engineer from Verona, known for his contributions to fortification design and architectural works in various Italian cities.
The surname Torre also has connections to Spanish and Portuguese roots, derived from the same Latin word "turris," meaning "tower." In Spain, the name was sometimes spelled as "Torre," while in Portugal, it appeared as "Torre" or "Torres."
One notable Spanish figure with the surname Torre was Tomás de la Torre (c. 1480-1532), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés.
In Portugal, João da Torre (c. 1460-1534) was a prominent navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Indian Ocean in the early 16th century, contributing to the expansion of Portuguese maritime exploration.
Throughout history, the surname Torre has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, military leaders, architects, explorers, and more, reflecting its widespread presence and diverse origins across different regions and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Torre
Among Census respondents with the surname Torre, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Torre 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 Torre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.3% · 2,267
- Hispanic or Latino31.9% · 1,218
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.5% · 211
- Two or more races2.3% · 88
- Black or African American0.8% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Torre
Torre 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
#7,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,527
+251 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#8,298
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,822
-705 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 939 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,198 | 4,276 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,359 | 4,527 | 1.53 | +251 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #8,298 | 3,822 | 1.28 | -705 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 939 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 Torre 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 | #7,359 | #8,298 | -12.8% |
| Count | 4,527 | 3,822 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.28 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Torre bearers went from 4,527 to 3,822 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 939 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,359 to #8,298.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Torre
FAQ
Torre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Torre?
Name Census estimates that about 4,383 living Americans carry the surname Torre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,201 residents.
How common is Torre?
Torre ranks #8,298 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,822 people with the surname Torre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,383), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Torre.
Has Torre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Torre went from 4,527 recorded bearers to 3,822. That is a decrease of 705 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,359 to #8,298.
What does the Census say about the background of Torre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Torre, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (31.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Torre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.3% (2,267 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Torre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.3%), Hispanic (31.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.5%). 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 Torre (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 Torre mean?
An Italian occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked in or near a tower. 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 Torre (1.28 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 have the surname Torre?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.