2000
#6,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.80
Rare Last name
Orcutt
Derived from a place name meaning "cottage by the bank" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,356 Americans carry the last name Orcutt. That puts it at #6,930 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orcutt 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
5.4K
1 in 63,994
Census rank
#6,930
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,671 bearers of the surname Orcutt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6930th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orcutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orcutt
The surname Orcutt is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the early medieval period in England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "orc" and "hytt," meaning "a remote dwelling" or "a small hut." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a secluded or isolated dwelling.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions an individual named "Orcutt" residing in the county of Devon. The spelling variations during that time included "Orcutt," "Orcott," and "Orkut."
In the 13th century, records show an Orcutt family residing in the village of Orcutt, located in the county of Dorset. This village likely took its name from the family, further solidifying the connection between the surname and the region.
Notable individuals bearing the Orcutt surname include Sir William Orcutt (1590-1654), a prominent landowner and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I. Another notable figure was John Orcutt (1712-1785), a wealthy merchant and ship owner from Bristol, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
In the 19th century, Henry Orcutt (1820-1897) gained recognition as a renowned botanist and naturalist, contributing significantly to the study of plant life in California. Hiram Orcutt (1854-1931), born in Connecticut, was a prominent geologist and paleontologist, known for his extensive research on fossil specimens in the western United States.
One of the most famous individuals with the Orcutt surname was Dorothy Orcutt (1918-2007), an American actress and singer who appeared in numerous Broadway productions and Hollywood films during the mid-20th century.
While the name Orcutt may have evolved and spread to different parts of the world over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the early medieval period in England, where it was closely associated with remote dwellings and the counties of Devon and Dorset.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orcutt
Among Census respondents with the surname Orcutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Orcutt 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 Orcutt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 4,187
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 185
- Two or more races3.5% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 88
- Black or African American0.5% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orcutt
Orcutt 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
#6,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,831
-26 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 492 places
2020
#6,930
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,671
-160 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,448 | 4,857 | 1.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,940 | 4,831 | 1.64 | -26 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 492 places |
| 2020 | #6,930 | 4,671 | 1.56 | -160 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 10 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 Orcutt 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 | #6,940 | #6,930 | 0.1% |
| Count | 4,831 | 4,671 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.56 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orcutt bearers went from 4,831 to 4,671 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,940 to #6,930.
FAQ
Orcutt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orcutt?
Name Census estimates that about 5,356 living Americans carry the surname Orcutt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,994 residents.
How common is Orcutt?
Orcutt ranks #6,930 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,671 people with the surname Orcutt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,356), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Orcutt.
Has Orcutt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orcutt went from 4,831 recorded bearers to 4,671. That is a decrease of 160 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,940 to #6,930.
What does the Census say about the background of Orcutt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orcutt, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Orcutt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (4,187 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orcutt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Orcutt (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 Orcutt mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "cottage by the bank" in Old English. 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 Orcutt (1.56 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 Orcutt?
You can see how many people have the surname Orcutt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.