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Turner Name Meaning, Origins & History

Turner

Pronunciation: TUR-nur

Meaning Woodworker Origin Old English Gender Boy
BOYS RANK
#1,107
TREND
101
GIRLS RANK
#8,318
TREND
3,197
Peak Years
2019, 2018, 2021
Lowest Years
1972, 1980, 1884
Energy Archetype
Sensitive & Diplomatic

Rank shows the name’s position among U.S. baby names for each gender in 2025. Trend shows how many places it rose or fell since 2024. Rank 1 is the most popular. Based on U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) data. Peak and lowest years are based on the number of boys named Turner in the available records.

Fun Facts About the Name Turner

  • More than 10 thousand babies named Turner: U.S. records list 10,386 babies given the name Turner from 1880 through 2025. Even 397 girls received the name Turner - about 1 girl for every 25 boys.

What Does the Name Turner Mean?

Turner is an English occupational name meaning "one who works a lathe" or "lathe worker." It comes from Middle English turner, from Anglo-Norman and Old French torneor, "one who turns," from the verb torner, "to turn." The verb goes back to Latin tornare, "to turn," from tornus, "lathe," which was borrowed from Greek tornos, "lathe." The literal sense is a craftsman who shapes wood, metal, bone, or ivory by rotating it against a cutting tool. The modern given name is a transferred use of the surname, not a separate word with a different meaning.

Turner Name History & Origins

Turner began as an occupational byname in medieval England. A turner made rounded and hollowed objects such as bowls, cups, furniture parts, and tool handles on a lathe. The term entered English from Anglo-Norman and Old French torneor, from torner, "to turn." After the Norman Conquest, English bynames often described a person's trade; as surnames became hereditary in the later Middle Ages, Turner became a family name passed down through generations.

The surname spread across England and later to Scotland, Ireland, and the American colonies with English-speaking settlement. It is borne by figures such as the English painter J. M. W. Turner (1775 - 1851) and the American abolitionist Nat Turner (1800 - 1831). These are surname uses, not evidence about the given name's early history.

As a first name, Turner is a transferred use of the surname. This pattern became common in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, where surnames were often given to children as first names. Used as a given name, Turner keeps its origin as an occupational surname but does not literally describe the child's work.

How Popular is the Name Turner?

Turner recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2019. Its best rank was #358 in 1888.

U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.

Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.

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How the Name Turner Shapes Your Personality and Life?

You like to control everyone within your influence, to shape things to your own liking. If positive, you develop high spirituality, as you have a God's protection. You are sensitive, affectionate, imaginative and cooperative, spiritually aware and prone to self-sacrifice. You can keep secrets and are a good diplomat. You may have healing and psychic powers. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.

You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.

✦ Turner's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Turner's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.
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