2000
#47,210
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.16
Very Rare Last name
Orbach
A surname derived from the German word "Orbach" meaning a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 472 Americans carry the last name Orbach. That puts it at #54,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 726,174 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orbach surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
472
1 in 726,174
Census rank
#54,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
412
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 412 bearers of the surname Orbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 54078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orbach
The surname Orbach is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the early Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the German words "or," which means "border," and "bach," meaning "stream" or "brook." This suggests that the name might have referred to someone who lived near a stream or brook along a border or boundary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Orbach can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Principality of Anhalt in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in several other medieval German records and manuscripts, indicating its widespread use during that time.
In the 16th century, there are records of an Orbach family residing in the town of Worms, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This town was known for its thriving Jewish community, and it is possible that some members of the Orbach family were of Jewish descent.
One notable figure with the surname Orbach was Johann Orbach, a German artist and engraver who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was known for his intricate copper engravings and woodcuts, many of which depicted religious scenes and portraits.
Another historical figure with the name Orbach was Karl Orbach, a German philosopher and educator who lived in the 19th century. He was born in 1822 and was a prominent figure in the field of education, advocating for progressive teaching methods and the importance of practical learning.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Orbach was Jerry Orbach, an American actor best known for his roles in popular television shows such as Law & Order and Dirty Dancing. He was born in 1935 and had a successful career spanning over five decades, earning numerous awards and accolades for his performances.
Another notable Orbach was Rebecca Orbach, a British author and journalist who wrote extensively on issues related to feminism and women's rights. She was born in 1954 and is known for her influential works, including "Fat is a Feminist Issue" and "Bitter Chocolate: Exploring the Dark Side of the World's Most Seductive Sweet."
While the surname Orbach is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, philosophers, educators, actors, and authors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Orbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Orbach bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Orbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 372
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 27
- Two or more races2.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orbach
Orbach appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#46,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 461
+38 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 991 places
2020
#54,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 412
-49 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 7,859 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #47,210 | 423 | 0.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,219 | 461 | 0.16 | +38 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 991 places |
| 2020 | #54,078 | 412 | 0.14 | -49 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 7,859 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Orbach surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #46,219 | #54,078 | -17.0% |
| Count | 461 | 412 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.16 | 0.14 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orbach bearers went from 461 to 412 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 7,859 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,219 to #54,078.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Orbach
FAQ
Orbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orbach?
Name Census estimates that about 472 living Americans carry the surname Orbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 726,174 residents.
How common is Orbach?
Orbach ranks #54,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 412 people with the surname Orbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (472), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Orbach.
Has Orbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orbach went from 461 recorded bearers to 412. That is a decrease of 49 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,219 to #54,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Orbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Orbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (372 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.6%), Two or More Races (2.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Orbach (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Orbach mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Orbach" meaning a small stream or brook. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Orbach (0.14 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Orbach?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Orbach, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.