Find out how popular the last name Orbe is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Orbe.

Orbe, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Orbe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orbe in America

Orbe is the 31150th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orbe surname appeared 745 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Orbe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orbe to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Orbe

The surname ORBE has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal, where it first emerged during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "orbus," which means "orphan" or "bereft."

In the early 13th century, the name ORBE appeared in various historical records and documents, including the "Repartimientos" of the Kingdom of Valencia, which detailed the distribution of lands and properties after the Christian reconquest. This suggests that the name was already in use among the early settlers and repopulators of the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ORBE can be found in the "Libro de las Behetrías" (Book of Lordships) from the 14th century, a document that cataloged the territories and jurisdictions of the Kingdom of Castile. This reference indicates that individuals bearing the surname ORBE were present in the northern regions of the Iberian Peninsula during this time.

In the 15th century, a notable figure named Juan de Orbe (c. 1420-1498) served as a navigational expert and cartographer in the service of the Spanish Crown. His contributions to early modern cartography and navigation were significant, and his name is often mentioned in historical accounts of the Age of Exploration.

Another prominent individual with the surname ORBE was Pedro de Orbe (1492-1560), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro. He played a pivotal role in the subjugation of the Inca Empire and the establishment of Spanish rule in the region.

During the 16th century, the ORBE surname also appeared in the "Catastro de Ensenada," a census-like record of the population and wealth of the Crown of Castile, further cementing its presence in the Iberian Peninsula.

In the 17th century, a notable figure named María de Orbe (1613-1688) gained recognition as a prominent writer and poet in the Golden Age of Spanish literature. Her works, which included religious and devotional poetry, were widely appreciated and contributed to the literary legacy of the era.

While the surname ORBE has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America and other regions, due to migration and the influence of the Spanish and Portuguese empires.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orbe

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Orbe.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Orbe was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Orbe has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Orbe was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Orbe, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!