Explore the Family Name Tortora

The meaning of Tortora

Italian: 1. from a personal name derived from tortora ‘turtle dove’ (from Latin turtur, genitive turturis), symbolizing innocence and purity. See Turtle 2. 2. habitational name from Tortora in Cosenza province. Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Aniello, Sal, Agostino, Angelo, Antonio, Canio, Carmine, Ciro, Gioia, Luigi, Marco.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Tortora saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Tortora ranked 18,382 in popularity with 1,389 individuals carrying the name. This made it proportionally represented by 0.51 people per 100,000. By 2010, the rank had fallen to 19,834 with 1,355 individuals named Tortora, thus reducing its proportional representation to 0.46 per 100,000. This represents a drop of 7.9% in ranking and a decrease of 2.45% in count.

20002010Change
Rank#18,382#19,834-7.9%
Count1,3891,355-2.45%
Proportion per 100k0.510.46-9.8%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Tortora

The ethnicity associated with the surname Tortora also saw changes between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. While the majority of individuals with this surname identified as white (95.32% in 2000 and 93.28% in 2010), there was a notable increase in those identifying as belonging to two or more races (from 0.43% to 0.89%) and those identifying as Hispanic (from 3.96% to 5.31%). There were no recorded individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in 2000, but by 2010, there was a small representation of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander (0.37%).

20002010Change
White95.32%93.28%-2.14%
Hispanic3.96%5.31%34.09%
Two or More Races0.43%0.89%106.98%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0.37%0%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%