The Turney surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 6,803 people carried this name — #5,145 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 43,300 people counted. That is down 6% from 7,263 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Turney surname

Habitational surname of Norman origin, from any of various places in France called Tournai, Tournay or Tourny.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Turney» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

An early record he cites: Geoffrey de Turnai, Lincolnshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Turney and Tournay.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 771 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

26 Turney families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 137 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. 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

Connecticut 17
Virginia 4
Pennsylvania 3
Maine 1
New York 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. 266 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Turney in American newspapers,
1845–1909.

Newspaper page from The Hattiesburg News carrying the name Turney
The Hattiesburg News 1909-12-09
Newspaper page from Arizona Republican carrying the name Turney
Arizona Republican 1895-02-22
Newspaper page from The Yazoo Democrat carrying the name Turney
The Yazoo Democrat 1845-12-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 51,569 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Turney in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1970s.

877 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Turney. The most, 153, date from the 1920s. New South Wales 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 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 282
Victoria 206
Western Australia 159
Queensland 155
South Australia 48
Tasmania 19
ACT (Canberra) 3
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Turney,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Hopkins L. Turney
    Hopkins L. Turney 1797–1857 · lawyer
  • Jacob Turney
    Jacob Turney 1825–1891 · lawyer
  • Peter Turney
    Peter Turney 1827–1903 · judge
  • Robert Turney
    Robert Turney 1900–1972 · actor
  • Edmund Turney 1816–1872
  • Samuel Denny Turney 1824–1878 · surgeon

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 Turney,
in the records of 5 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 States811 records

811 records of the Turney name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 256
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 146
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 138
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 133
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 68
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 37
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 30
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Leo S. Turney

    Born 1923 in New York. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; rubber worker from New York County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Fred Turney

    Born 1947; from Pinnacle, North Carolina. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Turney

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Britannic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 53; merchant. From Nothingham, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 811 records for Turney in the United States.

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

Australia145 records

145 records of the Turney name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 96
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 19
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 13
  • Tasmanian Names Index 10
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 6
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record James Turney

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Surry, arriving 1831; ticket of leave 1836. Native of London.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Turney

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Orient, aged 20; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record John A. Turney

    Orchardist of Epsom, Victoria; died 1922.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 145 records for Turney 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) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada44 records

44 records of the Turney name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 23
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 7
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 4
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 4
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Turney

    Came to Ontario in 1877 aboard the Texas, bound for Bradford, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Muriel Margaret Turney

    Buried in 1997 at Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Victoria St. C. Turney

    Died 1908 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 44 records for Turney in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom14 records

14 records of the Turney name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 12
  • Welsh wills index cards 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Majorie Elsie Turney

    Will proved in 1941; of Battersea, London.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Turney

    Duke of Wellington's Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. J. Turney

    East Surrey Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 14 records for Turney in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · 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: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Turney name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gertrude Mary Turney

    Died 1987, aged 90; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Turney

    Died 1975, aged 86; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Turney.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Turney 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.

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