Explore the Family Name Torre

The meaning of Torre

1. Italian: topographic name for someone who lived near a tower, torre (from Latin turris), usually a defensive fortification or watchtower, or a habitational name from any of the places called with this word, as for example Torre Annunziata or Torre del Greco in Naples province, Torre de’ Passeri (Pescara, Abruzzo), or Torre di Ruggiero (Catanzaro, Calabria). Compare La Torre. 2. Galician, Catalan, Aragonese, Spanish, and Portuguese: topographic name from torre ‘(watch) tower’ (of the same etymology as 1), or a habitational name from any of numerous places called (La) Torre in Spain and Portugal. Compare Spanish De la Torre and La Torre. 3. English: variant of Torr. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Rocco, Angelo, Salvatore, Carmelo, Vito, Antonio, Carmine, Pietro, Sal, Sebastiano, Agostino, Bartolo. Spanish Jose, Francisco, Carlos, Julio, Alvaro, Eduardo, Elvira, Ernesto, Fernando, Gregorio, Guillermo, Jorge.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Torre in the United States?

The Torre surname's popularity, according to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has experienced a slight decline in rank between 2000 and 2010, going from 7198th place to 7359th. Despite this fall in ranking, the overall count of individuals carrying the Torre surname saw an increase of about 5.87 percent during the same period, rising from 4276 to 4527. However, as a proportion per 100k of the population, there was a decrease of around 3.77 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#7,198#7,359-2.24%
Count4,2764,5275.87%
Proportion per 100k1.591.53-3.77%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Torre

Considering the ethnic identity associated with the Torre surname, based on the information gathered from the Decennial U.S. Census, it's interesting to note that the largest group identified themselves as White, even though the percentage decreased slightly from 64.2 percent in 2000 to 62.09 percent in 2010. There was also a small increase in those identifying as Hispanic, moving up by 1.44 percent to reach 25.98 percent by 2010. The Black community saw the most significant growth, with an increase of 24.52 percent. However, those who identify as Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian and Alaskan Native both saw their percentages grow and decline, respectively.

20002010Change
White64.2%62.09%-3.29%
Hispanic25.61%25.98%1.44%
Black4.65%5.79%24.52%
Asian/Pacific Islander3.91%4.75%21.48%
Two or More Races1.33%1.15%-13.53%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.3%0.24%-20%

Torre ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Torre is Italian, which comprises 24.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are Spanish & Portuguese (21.4%) and British & Irish (17.6%). Additional ancestries include French & German, Eastern European, Indigenous American, Filipino & Austronesian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
Italian24.9%
Spanish & Portuguese21.4%
British & Irish17.6%
Other36.2%
Torre

Possible origins of the surname Torre

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Torre have recent ancestry locations in Italy and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Sicily, Italy43.00%
Campania, Italy40.90%
Calabria, Italy37.60%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom36.90%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom36.90%

What Torre haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Torre is E-V13, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup E-V13 is descended from haplogroup E-M96. Other common haplogroups include J-L26 and R-U152, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Toscano, Pellegrini, Milano, Orlando, Rinehart, Marini, Hubbard, Dietrich, Dipietro, Ferrara.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Torre surname are: A2, H1, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

torrePaternal Haplogroup Origins E-M96
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to early Balkan migrants

Haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a migrated in large numbers from the Balkans into Europe about 4,500 years ago, triggered by the beginning of the Balkan Bronze Age. During this migration, members of haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a mainly followed rivers connecting the southern Balkans to northern-central Europe. Technological leaps often cause lineages to grow dramatically in numbers and in geographic range. The development of Bronze technology may have given men in haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a a competitive advantage over other men, causing haplogroup E1b1b1a1b1a to proliferate and become widespread.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Torre have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Torre

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Torre" Surname 35.6%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Torre

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Torre" Surname 31.7%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Torre

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Torre" Surname 22.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Torre

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Torre" Surname 15.2%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Torre?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Torre are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Italian 58.3%

23andMe Users 57.2%