Turner Surname Meaning and Origin

Turner Surname Meaning and Origin Turner is most commonly an occupational name for one who worked with a lathe to make items of wood, bone, or metal. The name derives from the Old French tornier and Latin Tornarius, meaning lathe. Other possible origins of the Turner surname include: An occupational name for an official in charge of a tournament, from the Old French tornei, meaning a tournament or contest of armed men.A variant of the surname Turnehare, a nickname for a fast runner from the  Middle English turnen, meaning to turn hare, a fast rabbit.An occupational name for a guard in a tower, from the Middle High German turn, meaning tower.A habitational name for someone from any one of various places named Turna, Turno,  Thurn, etc. This origin can be hard to pinpoint to a specific country, meaning individuals with the Turner surname could have come from Poland, Austria, Germany or any number of other countries. Turner is the 49th most popular surname in the United States and the 27th most common surname in England. Surname Origin:  English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  TOURNIER, TURNEY, DOERNER, DURNER, TARNER, TERNER, TOURNEAU, TURNOR, THURNER, TOURNER, TOURNOR Famous People Sith the Surname TURNER - 18th and 19th century British landscape painterNat Turner - leader of a violent slave rebellion in VirginiaCharles Henry Turner -  pioneering African-American scientist and scholarIke Turner - RB legend; husband of Tina TurnerTed Turner - founder of CNN; philanthropistKathleen Turner - American actressLana Turner - American film actress and pin-up girlJosh Turner - American country music starJohn Turner - 17th Prime Minister of Canada Where Do People With the TURNER Surname Live? Turner is the worlds 900th most common surname, according to surname distribution data from  Forebears. It is most common in various English speaking countries, including New Zealand where it ranks 30th, England (31st), Australia (34th), Isle of Man (34th), Wales (46th) and the United States (48th). WorldNames PublicProfiler  identifies Turner as most prevalent in the Waitomo District of New Zealand, followed by the Otorohanga District. It also identifies the surname as especially common in Tasmania and Western Australia, as well as East Anglia and West Midlands in the United Kingdom. Genealogy Resources for the Surname TURNER 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their MeaningsSmith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census? 100 Most Common English Surnames with MeaningsLearn how surnames originated in England, and about the four major types of surnames. Includes a list of 100 of the most popular English surnames along with their meanings. Turner Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Turner family crest or coat of arms for the Turner surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Turner Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Turner surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Turner query. FamilySearch - TURNER GenealogyAccess over 7 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Turner surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. TURNER Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Turner surname. DistantCousin.com - TURNER Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Turner. The Turner Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Turner from the website of Genealogy Today. References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.