Turna (also Toorna) is a clan name found among the Kamboj people living in Punjab region of India and Pakistan and also among the Turkish people. In Greater Panjab, the Turnas are found as Sikhs, Hindus as well as the Muslims. They are well known in the areas of agriculture, military and sports. There is a village in District Feroze Pur and one in District Jalandhar (near Lohian) where the residents are purely from Turna Kamboj brotherhood. There were two Sikh Turna villages in western Panjab whose inhabitants moved to the Indian Panjab after partition.
Many Kamboj Turnas came from Pakistan, though some are pure Indian Punjabi.
Probable origin
The Turnas or Toornas of Punjab region are probably the modern representatives of Ptolemian Toornai, a Scythian clan, said to be living during Pre-Christian period between the Oxus and Jaxartes rivers in Central Asia in parts of southern (Uzbekistan)/Kyrgyzstan, north of Pamirs.
Writing on the Scythian clans of Central Asian, Ptolemy, Geography (6, 13.3) observes: “ The (tribes of the) Sakai (Scythians) dwelling along the Iaxartës (Jaxartes) are called Karatai (Kirata) and Komaroi (Kumara), and those above the entire mountainous region, the Komedai. Along the Askatankas mountain range live Massagetai . In between, live the Grynaioi, Skythai and Toornai. And below these, along the Imaon (=Himalayan --- here referring to Hindukush/Pamirs) range live the Byltai (modern Baltistani)” . The Ptolemian Toornai here is apparently a Greek transliteration of Turna/Toorna, the well known clan name of the modern Panjabi Kambojs and also among the Turkish people.
Also, there is Toor/Tur clan found among the Jatts of [[Punjab region}Punjab]] and it appears very probable that these Toor/Tur Jatts have also branched off from the "Toornai" Scythians mentioned by Ptolemy in his Geography (6.3.13).
S. Kirpal Singh, author of "The Panjab Clans and their Gotras (with special reference to the Jatts)", traces the origin of the Kamboj Turnas/Toornas from the Turanian Scythians. Some Toornai from Uzbekistan/Central Asia appear to have naturally migrated southwards during the great tribal movements of the second century BCE, and later spread into whole of Greater Panjab where they came to be called Turna in Panjabi.
In post-partition years, many Turnas from Jalandhar area moved to and settled in the 'Terai' region of Uttar Pradesh where they now own huge agricultural farms.
The Kamboj Turnas/Toornas, in general, are said to be a very martial clan among the Kamboj people and there is also a proverb branding them as very haughty and arrogant. But this sweeping generalization does not hold in every case. Numerous Turna families are quite cultured and peaceful in nature.