2000
#12,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,322
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Turco
Of Turkish origin or descent, or someone from Turkey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,421 Americans carry the last name Turco. That puts it at #13,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,576 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Turco 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.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,576
Census rank
#13,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,111 bearers of the surname Turco in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Turco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Turco
The surname Turco is believed to have originated in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly derived from the Italian word "turco," meaning a person of Turkish descent or someone associated with Turkey or the Ottoman Empire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Turco can be found in the Florentine Codex, a 16th-century manuscript compiled by the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagún, which contains accounts of the conquest of Mexico by the Spanish. This suggests that individuals with the surname Turco may have been involved in the Spanish exploration and colonization efforts in the Americas.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Giovanni Turco (born around 1430) was a renowned painter and architect from Cremona, Italy. He is recognized for his work on the Cremona Cathedral, where he designed the impressive façade and contributed to the interior decorations.
Another notable individual with the surname Turco was Vincenzo Turco (1638-1697), an Italian painter from the Baroque period. He was born in Cremona and gained recognition for his religious paintings and portraits, many of which can be found in churches and galleries across Italy.
In the late 18th century, a place name associated with the surname Turco emerged in Sicily. The town of Turco, now known as Turcomachia, was established in the province of Messina, possibly named after a family or individual with the Turco surname.
During the 19th century, a notable figure named Pietro Turco (1827-1892) was a prominent Italian politician and lawyer. He served as a deputy in the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy and was actively involved in the country's political affairs during the Risorgimento period.
Another historical figure with the surname Turco was Pasquale Turco (1859-1926), an Italian anarchist and labor activist. He played a significant role in the early workers' rights movements in Italy and was known for his involvement in various labor strikes and protests.
Throughout history, the surname Turco has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, architects, politicians, and activists. While its origins can be traced back to Italy, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by Italian emigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Turco
Among Census respondents with the surname Turco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Turco 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 Turco surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 1,944
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 87
- Two or more races2.5% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Turco
Turco 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
#12,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
+58 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 634 places
2020
#13,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,111
-269 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Down 819 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,282 | 2,322 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,916 | 2,380 | 0.81 | +58 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 634 places |
| 2020 | #13,735 | 2,111 | 0.71 | -269 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 819 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 Turco 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 | #12,916 | #13,735 | -6.3% |
| Count | 2,380 | 2,111 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.71 | -12.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Turco bearers went from 2,380 to 2,111 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 819 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,916 to #13,735.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Turco
FAQ
Turco surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Turco?
Name Census estimates that about 2,421 living Americans carry the surname Turco. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,576 residents.
How common is Turco?
Turco ranks #13,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 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 2,111 people with the surname Turco. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,421), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 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 Turco.
Has Turco become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Turco went from 2,380 recorded bearers to 2,111. That is a decrease of 269 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,916 to #13,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Turco?
Among Census respondents with the surname Turco, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Turco in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,944 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Turco appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Turco (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 Turco mean?
Of Turkish origin or descent, or someone from Turkey. 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 Turco (0.71 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 are called Turco?
See how many Americans have the surname Turco on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.