Torre History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Italy
Spain

Similar to many Austrian family names, the distinguished surname Torre is a proud sign of a rich and ancient ancestry. The earliest forms of hereditary surnames in Austria were the patronymic surnames, which are derived from the father's given name, and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the mother's given name. Austrian and German patronymic names emerged as early as the mid-9th century and the most common patronymic suffix is ez. The patronyms were derived from a variety of given names that were of many different origins. The name Torre is derived from the ancient Germanic personal name Thor, meaning thunder.

Early Origins of the Torre family

The surname Torre was first found in the province of Tyrol in Austria, where the name became identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would play a prominent role throughout European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its participation in social, economic and political affairs.

Early History of the Torre family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Torre research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1165 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Torre History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Torre Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Torre include Thor, Thorer, Thoren, Thorn, Torr, Thorr, Thorre and many more.

Early Notables of the Torre family

Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Torre Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Torre Ranking

In the United States, the name Torre is the 9,384^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Torre is ranked the 3,820^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Torre migration to the United States +

After the First World War, Austria became a republic. The Treaty of Versailles broke up the empire in 1919 and many of the Sudeten Germans were incorporated into the new nation of Czechoslovakia. In the 20th century, many Austrians migrated to other parts of Germany or Europe, as well as to North America. In the United States, the majority of settlers landed in Philadelphia, and moved on to Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Many German settlers also migrated to Canada, particularly Ontario and the Prairies. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Torre were

Torre Settlers in United States in the 16th Century

Antonio Torre, who arrived in Peru in 1563
Bautista Torre, who arrived in New Spain in 1577

Torre Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Della Torre, who arrived in South Carolina in 1806
Anthony Della Torre, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1809
Anthony Della Torre, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1809 3
Hernando DeLa Torre, who landed in America in 1812 3
Diego DeLa Torre, who landed in America in 1813 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Torre migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Torre Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Francisco DeLa Torre, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1875 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Torre (post 1700) +

Dara Grace Torre (b. 1967), American international swimmer
Joseph Paul Torre (b. 1940), former American professional baseball player and manager
Felix Garcia-de la Torre, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1940 5
William J. Torre (b. 1957), American Republican politician, Mayor of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, 1996-2003 6
Laura Elias De La Torre, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 2004 7
Hector De La Torre, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2000, 2008 7
Edward de la Torre, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Veracruz, 1884 7
Peter della Torre, American Democratic Party politician, Presidential Elector for California, 1856; U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California, 1857-60 8
Manuel de la Torre (1921-2016), Spanish golf teacher, first member of the PGA to be awarded their Teacher of the Year Award in 1986
Raphael "Raffi" Torre (b. 1981), Canadian professional ice hockey forward
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html