The Torrence surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,419 people carried this name — #5,425 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 45,900 people counted. That is up 4% from 6,160 in 2000.

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In the first U.S. census, 1790

26 families named Torrence, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 156 people lived in those households, 6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 9
North Carolina 6
Vermont 4
Massachusetts 2
South Carolina 2
Connecticut 1
New York 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 265 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Torrence in American newspapers,
1908–1923.

Newspaper page from The Tucumcari News And Tucumcari Times carrying the name Torrence
The Tucumcari News And Tucumcari Times 1908-03-07
Newspaper page from The Seattle Star carrying the name Torrence
The Seattle Star 1923-10-13
Newspaper page from The Seattle Star carrying the name Torrence
The Seattle Star 1923-11-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Torrence in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1960s.

695 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Torrence. The most, 169, date from the 1920s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Western Australia, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 247
New South Wales 148
Western Australia 90
South Australia 87
Queensland 85
Tasmania 20
ACT (Canberra) 16
Northern Territory 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Torrence.

Who carried it

People named Torrence,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Joseph Thatcher Torrence
    Joseph Thatcher Torrence 1843–1896 · engineer
  • David Torrence
    David Torrence 1864–1951 · actor
  • David Torrence
    David Torrence 1864–1951 · actor
  • Jessie Norton Torrence d. 1923
  • Deshoun Keyon Torrence d. 2008
  • George Torrence 1782–1855 · judge

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Torrence,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States448 records

448 records of the Torrence name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 207
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 120
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 39
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 24
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 23
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 20
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 10
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • New York State police and firefighter memorial rolls 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Willie Charles Torrence

    Born 1949; from Pine Bluff, Arkansas. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Hua Nghia, South Vietnam. Buried at Little Rock National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leroy Torrence

    Born 1907 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Baltimore, Maryland; baker from Baltimore City, Maryland. Veteran; died 1965, buried at Baltimore National Cemetery, Maryland.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Brig Torrence

    Arrived at New York in 1850 aboard the Excelsior from Liverpool, aged 11; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 448 records for Torrence in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia49 records

49 records of the Torrence name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 36
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • Tasmanian Names Index 6
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Janet Torrence

    Arrived in Queensland in 1883 aboard the Anglo Indian, aged 16.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Georgina Torrence

    Died 1902 in Balfour Street, Launceston, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Hugh Torrence

    Left Hobart in 1823 aboard the Greenock, bound for Port Jackson.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 49 records for Torrence in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada2 records

2 records of the Torrence name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record William Torrence

    Died 1920; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record James R. Torrence

    Buried in 1958 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Torrence name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Torrence

    Lancashire Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Torrence in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Torrence.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Torrence is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Torrence volume
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