Turner has several derivations, dating from antiquity to comparatively recent times. All of these derivations are occupational-in other words, stemming from some form of work or activity. In earlier times, when society was less complex, a man was what he did. Common examples of this are the names Archer, Shepherd, Hornblower and Goldsmith.

The earliest derivation of Turner (or Turnour, or Turnor) is from the Old French word ‘tournour’. This means ‘one who turns or fashions objects of wood, metal, bone, etc. on a lathe’. The reason there are so many Turners today is because in medieval times there was a great variety of objects which could be ‘turned’. Most frequently these were measures for wine and ale, or round pieces of wood for chairlegs. The lathes used by these turners bore little relation to the one you’ll find in a modern workshop, though the principle was the same. The ancient lathe almost certainly evolved originally from the potter’s wheel-although it’s thought unlikely that the names Turner and Potter were ever synonymous. In medieval times there was little call for rounded chairlegs, except amongst the gentry at The Hall.

The turners were a sub-branch of the trade of cabinet­makers, which included many carpentering skills whose practitioners took on the name of their skill. Hence the Turners were closely related (by trade at least) to the Carvers, Dishers (fashioners of wooden dishes) and Arkwrights (chest makers).

A secondary derivation of Turner is from the Old French word ‘tournoieur’ which meant ‘one who takes part in a tourney or tournament’. However, it’s likely that only very few modern Turners derive their name from this fine medieval pastime.

The last but probably the most intriguing derivation of the name Turner comes from the old word ‘turnehare’. In medieval times this was the man who ran after the hare and he literally ‘turned’ it into the path of the waiting hunters. Needless to say, these Turners (or Turnehares) had to be fast runners, and soon the name became synonymous with what we would term a sprinter. The name may also have had deroga­tory connotations. A Turnehare (the opposite of a Turnbull) was someone who only had sufficient courage to turn a hare (or perhaps run away like a hare). Turnpenny was a nickname for a miser.

The earliest Turner in the records is one Warner le Turnur, who appears in the 1180 Pipe Rolls for London.

The Worshipful Company of Turners, founded in England in 1604, is still a thriving guild of makers of lathe-turned wooden articles.

English soldier Sir Tomkyns Hilgrove Turner (1766—1843) brought the Rosetta Stone back from North Africa’s Alexandria.

Dating from the time of Ptolemy V (c. 195 BC), it is covered in inscriptions in Ancient Greek and both demotic and hieroglyphic Egyptian. His ability to decipher it unlocked the secrets of other inscriptions and led to an intensive study of Egyptian antiquity. The stone is now displayed in the British Museum.

Sixteenth-century botanist William Turner (1520—68) introduced scientific botany into England. The many plants he named include hawkweed and goatsbeard.

Joseph Mallord Turner (1775—1851) is generally acknowledged to be one of England’s greatest landscape painters. His impressionistic use of light and colour is world-famous. Celebrated and wealthy in his time, he died a virtual recluse leaving over 20,000 watercolours and 300 paintings to the nation.

One town in the United Kingdom is a namesake-Turner’s Hill. Australia has a town named Turner while the United States has 6 towns so named as well as a Turners Falls, Turnercrest, Turnersville and Turnerville. Given the popularity of the surname remarkably few geographic features are Turners. Australia does have a mountain and a river which are so named.

With about 167,000 namesakes Turner is the 23rd most popular surname in England and Wales. (The name is not common enough throughout Scotland to be counted separately.) Turner is notably popular in and around Sheffield where an estimated one in about 255 families bears the name. In descending numerical order Bradford, Birmingham and Nottingham are other Turner strongholds. Around the world Turners are most common in Wellington (one in 607 families), Canberra (one in 639) and Auckland (one in 678). The United States has more Turners than the entire population of Coventry-an estimated total of just under 346,000 makes this their 46th most popular surname.