Turner Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Surname Name Meaning, Origin, and Etymology
This English/Scottish last name has six origin theories. First, it is an occupational one meaning “the turner”, referring to a work who worked with a lathe (a rotating tool used for cutting, drilling, and other functions), usually making small objects from wood, bone, or metal, having derived from the Anglo-French-Norman word torner (originally Latin tornarius). Second, it was a baptismal surname introduced into Britain from Normandy, France during the Norman Invasion of 1066 AD. It derives from the Old French words le (the) and etourneau (starling), giving us LeTourneau, and later the L was dropped and the name Anglicized. In his book, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, by X, states “To assert that Turnour is local from de Tour Noire, the Black Castle (in Normandy, of course), is childish; and little better is Tourneour, a tilter. There is no evidence”. The lords of the supposed castle were called Les Sires de Tournoir. It is said a member of the family went into England with William the Conqueror. Wikipedia, however, claims the occupational origin from a lathe worker is not well established. Third, it may have derived from a nickname for a person who ran fast, deriving from the Middle English words turnen (turn) and hare (hare/rabbit). Fourth, this name could be an occupational surname for a person that officiated tournaments during medieval times, deriving from the Old French word tornei. Fifth, it may derive from other uses of the Middle English word turn, such as a turnspit: a translator or interpreter. Sixth, it may be an Anglicized spelling of a southern German occupational name: Thurner, a name for a guard in a tower or a person who lived near a tower (Middle High German turn). There is a place in Austria name Thurn. One source asserts the name was first established in Oxfordshire England.

An author with the last name Ferguson alleges the following in regard to this last name: “as a name before the Conquest, a grant to the monastery of Croyland, in 1051, being signed, among others, by a Turnerus Capellanus. The Icelandic has turnera, turnamentum agree; turnari, a tilter, which may probably shew the origin of the name. As, however, the Turner in question was a bishop’s chaplain, his “tilting” must have been only theological. But the name may probably have been baptismal, and perhaps of Norman introduction”.

In his book, The Surnames of Scotland and Their Origin, Meaning, and History, author George Fraser Black writes “a family of this name had possession of the estate of Ardwall in the parish of New Abbey for many generations”.

Spelling Variations
Common spelling variants or names with similar etymologies include Turnour, Torner, Turnor, Turnour, Turnur, and Turnehare. For some people of Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic), it could be a habitational name for a person who lived in Turna/Turno, in Poland and Belarus, or from Tarnow (Turne in Yiddish) in Poland. The French versions are Tournaire, Tourneur, and Turnier.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name ranks Turner ranks 49^th in popularity in terms in the United Status as of the 2000 Census. The name ranks particularly high in the following nine states: Virginia, Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky. The surname is also common in England, where it ranks 31^st. It ranks highest in the following counties: Staffordshire, Essex, Derbyshire, and Suffolk. The name is common throughout the English speaking world:  Scotland (109^th), Wales (46^th), Ireland (634^th), Canada (110^th), New Zealand (30^th), Australia (34^th), and South Africa (432^nd).

The 1890 book “Homes of Family Names” by H.B. Guppy, states the following in regard to this surname: “This name is distributed over the greater part of England, but is infrequent or absent in the north beyond Lancashire and Yorkshire. It is well represented in the midlands, especially in Derbyshire, Notts, and Staffordshire, and is also numerous in Lancashire. In the eastern counties it has its great centre in Suffolk and afterwards in Norfolk. In the south of England it is less frequent, but has two independent homes in Sussex and Devonshire. The prevalence of this name may probably be explained, as Bardsley suggests, by the circumstance that until the close of the 16th century, the “turner” made most of the best household vessels, such as mugs, jogs, etc., only those in rough and common use being made of clay. Since this name often prefers to gather in industrial counties, we are not surprised to find that it has its Scottish home in the Greenock and Glasgow districts, though it is not numerous”.

Early Bearers of the Surname
The earliest known bearer of this surname was Warner le Turnur in the Pipe Rolls of London in 1180 AD. Ralph de Turner was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1191 AD and Bernard Turnehare was listed in the Curis Regis Rolls of Staffordshire in 1224 AD. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 AD, a census of Wales and England, known in Latin as Rotuli Hundredorum lists three bearers of this surname:  Aylbricht le Turnur in London, Geoffrey le Turner in Cambridgeshire, and William le Turnour in county Oxfordshire. The Poll Tax of Yorkshire in 1379 AD lists one bearers of this last name: Johannes Turnour. Henry le Tornour…county Somerset during the reign of King Edward III of England (1327-1377 AD) in Kirby’s Quest. William le Tournour was recorded in the Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium. An early marriage involving this surname was George Turnor to Ann Eleanor Hanmner at St. George’s Hanover Square in London in 1791.

History, Genealogy, and Ancestry
A one Roger Turner or Turnour was born in 1344 AD. He married Christina de Chalfhunte and they had a son together named Sir Edward Turnour. Sir Edward was born in 1370 and he married Margaret Peverell of Park Hamiltilly and they had a son named Sir Henry Turnor. Henry was born in 1401 and he had a son named John. John was born in 1433 and he married Joan Gifford. They had a son together named Sir John Turner II who was born in 1455 in Devon, England. John II married Agnes (last name unknown) and had a son with her named Anthonie Turner I born in 1512 in Devon. Anthonie I married had a son named Anthonie II who was born in 1543 in Throrverton. He had the following children: Sir Humphie, Humphrey, Anthony, and Mary. His son Sir Humphrey Turner was born in Cornwall in 1620. He had a son named Sir Thomas Anthony. Thomas in two issue: Claude Ericht and Richard Graham. Richard Graham Truner was born in 1648 in Cornwall in Land’s End. He married Elizabeth Abigail Hutton (or Haruey) and had the following children with her: Lewis, Margaret, Mary, James I, John III, and Richard. His son James I was born in 1685 and he went to Virginia in the United States.  He married Sarah Bevans and had children with her named Richard, James Jr., Robert, John, Lewis, Thomas, and Frances. James Turner Jr was born in 1710 in Virginia. He married Mary Admire and had the following issue with her: Ruth Anne, Isaiah, Reverend Richard, Mary, Nathan, Admire, Captain Frances, Jemimah, James, Adam, Elijah, and Micajah. His son Elijah Admore Turner Sr. was born in 1747 in Virginia. He married Sarah Haynes and had issue with her: Tabitha Haynes, Sarah Holland, Elijah Jr., Richard, Wilson C., Jesse, Meador, Rebecca Ore, William, and Theodosha. His son Elijah Jr. was born in 1772 and he married Mary “Polly” Tolley and they had issue together: John H., William G., and Elijah. John H. was born in 1807 and he married Lucy Carter Jeter/ They had numerous children together: William H., Francis Jeter, Matilda Vaughan Metts, James Monroe, Milton Jeter, Milton John, Letitia Mary Fitzpatrick, and Achilles. His son James Monroe Turner was born in 1836 in Bedford County, Virginia. He married three times and left the following issue: Cornelia F., Ada, and Oliver.

The famous genealogist Bernard Burke’s book “The Landed Gentry” discusses two branches of this family: 1) Turner of Kippen House and Turnor of Stoke-Rochford.

The first begins with a mention of Mary Turner of Kippen House, Dunning, county Perth, who was the eldest daughter of Robert Graeme, Esq. of Garvock. She married Angus Turner, Esquire of Glentyre and Kippen-Turner in 1830. He was a Magistrate for the counties of Perth and Lanark, and was appointed Legal Assessor and Town Clerk of Glasgow. He had two daughters: Jane Anna Aytoun (married R.R. Bewley Caton and had a son with him named Redmond Bewley Caton) and Mary Helena de Jersey (married Captain L.E. O’Connor and later Samuel Spofforth). Burke states the Turner family possesses lands for many generations on the banks of Loch Lomond, at once owned the estate of Torr in the former county. Maternally, they descended from the ancient family of McFarlane of Arrochar. The Turner family crest in heraldry has the following blazon: Quarterly; 1^st and 4^th, sable, a Catherine wheel argent; 2^nd and 3^rd, argent three gouttes de sang. Crest: A flaming heart proper.

The second begins with a mention of Christopher Turnor, Esq. of Sroke-Rochford in county Lincoln who was Justice of the Peace, Deputy Lietenant, and High Sheriff in 1833, as well as a member of Parliament for South Lincolnshire. He was born in April of 1809 and he married Lady Caroline Finch Hatton in 1837, daughter of George William, the 9^th Earl of Wichilsea. They had ten children together: Edmund (1838 of Panton Hall), Christopher Hatton (1840, married Alice Killaly, went to Toronto, Canada), Cecil Montague (1842, became Commander in the Royal Navy), Algernon (1845), Herbert Broke (1848, 71^st regiment), Charles Edward (1851), Graham Augustus (1853), Edith Georgiana (1868, Vmarried Viscount Emlyn), Constance Evelyn, Agnes Octavia, Betha Kathleen, and Dora Agnes Caroline. Burke traces the lineage back to Sir Edmund Turnor who was born in the seventeenth century and was so of Christopher Turnor of Milton Erney in county Bedford, a descendant of the family Turnour of Haverhill. A pedigree of the family genealogy is given. The Turnor coat of arms was: Ermine on a cross quarter-pierced argent four fer-de-oulin sable. Crest: A lion passant argent crowned or, in his paw fer-de-moulin of the arms.

A one Humphrey Turner was born in 1593 in Kent, England. He married Lydia Gaymer and had the following issue with her: John Sr., James, John, William, Anne, Lydia (Doughty), Thomas Sr., Mary (Parker), Joseph, Nathaniel, and Daniel. His son was born in 1622 in Terling, Essex, England. John married Ann James in Plymouth, Massachsuetts in 1649 and they had children together: Japheth, Israel, Miriam (Pickels), Ann (Green), Sarah (Holbrook), David, Jacob, Philip, and Ichabod. His son Japhet was born in 1650 in Scituate, MA. He married Hannah Hudson and had four children with her: Ann (Bicknell), Joshua, Japheth, and Ruth (Clark). His son Japhet was born in 1682 in Duxbury and married Hannah Hatch in 1702. They had the following children together: Hannah, Japhet, Israel, and Elizabeth (Pratt). His son Japhet was born in 1704 and he later married Elizabeth Morse. They had children together: Betty Reynolds, Hannah (Shaw), Japhet, Joshua, Joseph, Joseph D., Samuel, and Mary. His son Japhet was born in 1733 in Middleborough, MA. He married twice: Elizabeth Hillman in 1763 and Thankful Bassett in 1774. He had the following children: Walter, Walter, Elizabeth (Jacobs), Joshua, Thankful (Fish), Margaret (Chadwick), Japhet, and Hannah (Nye). His second son Walter was born in 1775 in Falmouth. He married Lydia Swift and had issue with her: William, Hallet S., Thankful B. (Young), Walter, Lydia S., Nathaniel Wing, Mercy (Crowell), and Susan B. (Smith). He died in 1853.

A one Humphrey Turner was born in 1609 in England. He married a woman named Margaret Parker and had a daughter with her named Hannah, who married Humphrey Marshall Jr. Hannah died in Pennsylvania in 1734.

Early American and New World Settlers
The famous ship the Mayflower, which sailed to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, contained three bearers of this surname: John Turner and his two sons. He was born in 1590 and perished with his two sons during the first winter. Little is known of him, other than he may have come from Great Yarmouth in county Norfolk and was a merchant.

Sarah Turner came to Virginia in 1634 aboard the Bonaventure. Elizabeth Turner, aged 20 years old, came to New England aboard the Hopewell in 1635. Mathew Turner came to St. Christopher’s aboard the Paul in 1635. Marmaduke Turner came to the Barbados in April 1635 aboard the Faulcon. Thomas Turner came to Virginia in 1635 aboard the Plaine Joan. Another Thomas Turner came to St. Christophers aboard the Mathew in 1635. Joseph Turner came to Virginia from the port of London aboard the Speedwell in May 1635. Robert Turner came to Virginia aboard the Thomas & John in June 1635. Robert Turner came to New England aboard the Blessing in the same year. Thomas Turner came to Virginia aboard the Assurance in July 1635. Elizabeth Turner, 44 years old, came to Virginia aboard the Safety in August 1635, as did Joan, age 21. A Robert Turner was recorded as living in Virginia in 1623, as was one Henry Turner (at Chaplains choise), and one Henry. Thomas Turner came to Virginia in 1616 aboard the Marygold. Robert Turner, a servant, came in 1619 aboard the Tryall. Henry Turner came to Virginia in the John & Francis in 1615. Henery Turner came in the London Marchaunt. A one Martin Turner came aboard the George in 1621. Jonathan Turner came to the Sommer Islands (Bermuda) in August of 1673. A one Mary, daughter of Martha Turner, was recorded as being baptized in the Parish of St. Michael’s in the Barbados in July of 1678.

Other early settlers in Colonial American bearing the Turner last name include Andrew (Virginia 1701), Charles (Virginia 1705), James (Georgia 1733), Alexander (New England 1738), John and Elizabeth (Philadelphia 1742), and Barlett (New York 1811). Two of the earliest settlers in Canada were Francis Turner and Eleanora Turner, who came to Nova Scotia, in 1749 and 1757, respectively.

Mottoes
I have identified 60 Turner family mottoes:
Pro patria (For my country)
Utile quod tacias (The secret useful? That which is useful? That which is useful is secret?)
Vincit qui patitur (He conquers who endures) (first attributed to Roman satirist Persius)
Esse quam videri (To be rather than to seem)
Animo et fide (By courage and faith)
Avito viret honore (He flourishes through the honour of his ancestors)
Confido conqueisco (I trust and am contented)
Esse quam videri (To be rather than seem to be)
Finem prospiciens (Looking to the end)
Tu ne cede malis (Yield to misfortunes)

Grantees
We have 55 coats of arms for the Turner surname depicted here. These 50 blazons are from Bernard Burke’s book The General Armory of England, Ireland, and Scotland, which was published in 1848. The bottom of this page contains the blazons, and in many instances contains some historical, geographical, and genealogical about where coat of arms was found and who bore it. People with this last name that bore a Turner Coat of Arms include:

1) William Turner, Governor of Christ’s Hospital in London, granted 1704
2) Nathaniel Turner of Fleet Street, London, Common Councillor, Governor of Christ’s Hospital, 3^rd son of Francis of, of Woburn, county Bedford, alteration December 1710.
3) Jane Turner, daughter of William Price, 1753
4) Turner, after Page, Sir Gregory, Bart., of Ambrosden, county Oxford, 20 Dec 1775
5) Reverend Richard Turner, M.A. Oxford, Rector of Cumberton and Vicar of Elmsley in county Worcestershire, 26 July 1785
6) Turner to Dryden, of county Northampton [1791]
7) Turner after Beckett, of Bucks and Wilts, Crest [1808], quarterly arms
8) Turner, late Merryweather, infants, of county Surrey and Worcestershire, William Stephens Turner (Mellish) Merryweather-Turner, of Lincoln’s Inn, London, and Trinity College, Cambridgeshire [1830].
9) Reverend Charles, of Park Hall, or. Kidderminster, Rector of Eastham, co. Worcestershire [1848]
10) Turner-Farley, of Park Hall, nr. Kidderminster, and Henwick, Hallow, all co. Worc, [1848]
11) Farley, Thomas, M. of Park Hall and Henwick, co Worc,; Worthy Park, Hampsh; and Marnull, county Dorset
12) Turner, after Polhill, Capt., of county Oxf. [1853].
13) Turner to Wright, of Nettleton Rectory and Brattleby Hall, co. Lincolnshire [1863]
14) Turner after Round, of county Essex (Fleet Commander) (1871)
15) Turner, formerly Barnwell, of co. Norfolk and Suffolk (1826)
16) George H. Turner of Littleover, Mickleover, co. Derby, 1896
17) Mansfield, of Glenfield, Midsomer Norton, co. Somerset, 1882
18) Turnor, of co. Cardigan, Wales, 1804
19) Turnor-Fetherstonhaugh, Hon. Keith s. of Lord (the 4^th Earl?) Winterton, of co. Sussex, 1896.

Notables
Famous people with this last name include: 1) Curtis Turner (1924-1970) who was an America stock car racer from Virginia, 2) Dawson Turner (1775-1858) who was an English banker and botanist, 3) Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) who was an English Romanticist landscape painter, 4) Richmond Kelly Turner (1885-1961) who was an Admiral in the United States Navy during World War II, 5) Stansfield Turner (1923) who was an admiral in the US Navy as well as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), 6) Shirley Kersey Turner (1941) who was a member of the New Jersey Senate, and 7) Sylvester Turner (1954) who became the mayor of Houston, Texas in 2016.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes