Tumalo is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 488. In the Klamath language, tumolo means "wild plum," a plentiful shrub in south central Oregon. Tumola means "ground fog," which may have described Tumalo Creek. Tumallowa, the original name of Tumalo Creek, means "icy water."