Surname Turkill - Meaning and Origin
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Turkill: What does the surname Turkill mean?
The last name Turkill is of English origin and was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat from ancient times. It appears to be an Anglo-Saxon name as it was recorded as Turkel in the Domesday Book.
The meaning of this name is most likely derived from the Olde English words “tur”, meaning tower or stronghold and “cynn”, meaning family or household, therefore possibly indicating that the original bearer of the name was originally associated with a family stronghold. It is also possible that the name is a variation of the personal name Turketil which could indicate a link to Scandinavian origins meaning “Thor-shield”.
Throughout history, the surname has been spelled many different ways, including Turcote,Turco, Turcitt and Turkell. It has also been found as Turkset and Turkette in the early records of Elizabethan England. Most bearers of the surname are of English origin but some of them may have origins in other European countries.
Today, the surname is fairly rare with few records existing, suggesting that it formed a small clan or family during the Middle Ages. They are most likely to be found in the county of Oxfordshire and surrounding areas.
Order DNA origin analysisTurkill: Where does the name Turkill come from?
The last name Turkill is not exceedingly common today, though there are individuals with the last name living in many parts of the world.
The name seems to have originated in parts of Europe, with likely roots in England and Germany. There are individuals with the surname living in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Peru, France, Portugal, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. While the exact number of people with the last name is unknown, records show that it has not been overly popular in any of those countries. In most cases, it's likely that only a few individuals in each country actually have that surname.
In terms of the United States, the last name is most commonly found in California, followed by New York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Florida. It should be noted that the numbers in each of these states are still very low, with some states having fewer than ten individuals with the surname in the country.
Overall, the last name Turkill is not overly common today, however there are still individuals representing the name in a variety of countries worldwide.
Variations of the surname Turkill
The surname Turkill is very unusual, but records show that it is most likely a variant spelling of the English surname Turkel. Variations of this surname include Turkle, Türkel, Tuerkel, Turkell, Turkelle, Tirkill, and Tyrkel.
Turkell and Turkel are the most common of these spellings. Turkel is likely to be derived from the Old Norse personal name Thorkell, which was first found in Lincolnshire, England in the 11th century. It is derived from the words “thorr”, meaning “thunder” and “kellr”, meaning “helmet”.
The Turkel variant is more often found in Eastern Europe, especially in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Tyrkel is the Finnish form of the name. The Turkle variant has been found in the UK.
The Turkill spelling of the surname is quite rare, appearing mainly in the U.S., Canada and the UK. It is likely to be a spelling variation of the name that has been passed down through generations.
In the United States especially, many variants of the Turkill surname have been created over the years when immigrants changed the pronunciation, spelled it phonetically in unfamiliar scripts or chose to Anglicise it. Therefore, other variations are found such as Turquill, Turquille, Turquil, Trquille, Trkwil and Turqille.
The surname is found in many records around the world and is often spelt differently. With the many permutations, it can be a challenge to trace the origins of the family.
Famous people with the name Turkill
- Sir Thomas Turgill (1462-1544), English Merchant
- Tony Turkington (born 1936), English former footballer
- Henry Turgill (19th century), English racehorse trainer
- Peter Turkington (born 1961), British politician
- Brian Turgill (born 1964), British musician
- John Turgill (19th century), English cricketer
- Lionel Turgill (1913-1978), British actor
- James Turkill (17th century), English soldier
- Richard Turkill (18th century), English sailor
- Benjamin Turkill (19th century), English Air Force officer