Meaning & Origin
An English and Scottish surname originating as an occupation.
Turner is a boy's and girl's baby name of Old English origin, an occupational surname for a lathe operator — someone who "turned" wood or metal on a lathe — from the Old English turnian. It carries the honest, skilled-craftsman quality of the best occupational names.
Turner has grown as a first name alongside the broader trend of occupational surname names. Actor Tina Turner's surname has given it cultural visibility, and its -er ending sits comfortably alongside names like Hunter, Carter, and Parker in the modern American naming landscape.