Meaning: One who works a lathe; from Old French torneor (lathe operator), from torner (to turn on a lathe)High
In 30 seconds: An English occupational surname meaning 'one who works a lathe,' from Old French torneor. Like Cooper, Parker, and Carter, Turner follows the American pattern of trade surnames becoming first names — in this case carrying the prestige of Turner Broadcasting and the painter J.M.W. Turner.
MeaningOne who works a lathe; from Old French torneor (lathe operator), from torner (to turn on a lathe)
U.S. rank (2024)#1006 ↗ Rising
2024 U.S. births223 boys (0.01% of U.S. boys)
Peak year2019
Total births (all-time)≈ 9,794
Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data
U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.
History & Origin
Turner is an English occupational surname from Old French torneor (one who turns, a lathe operator). Turners crafted wooden objects on lathes — bowls, chair legs, spindles. As a given name it follows the occupational surname-to-first-name tradition.
Turner entered U.S. boys' charts in the 2010s. It ranked #1006 for boys in 2024.
Did you know? J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) is considered one of the greatest landscape painters in British history — his luminous, almost abstract later works (Rain, Steam and Speed, 1844) anticipate Impressionism by decades and earned him the title 'the painter of light.'
Overall data confidence 93%
Behind the Name — Turner — Old French etymologyU.S. Social Security Administration — popularity data
Variations
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Nicknames
Turn
Famous Bearers
Famous bearers coming soon.
If you like Turner…
Cooper— occupational surname name (barrel maker) in the same confident register
Parker— occupational surname name in the same modern trend
Carter— occupational surname name at the same confidence and popularity level
Roper— occupational -er surname name in the same trade-name category
