2000
#2,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Ordonez
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating one's origin from any of numerous places named Ordoño, Ordóñez, or Ordones.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,628 Americans carry the last name Ordonez. That puts it at #1,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,147 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ordonez 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
23K
1 in 15,147
Census rank
#1,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,733 bearers of the surname Ordonez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ordonez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and White (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ordonez
The surname Ordonez has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the Spanish and Portuguese word "orden," which means "order" or "command." This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with individuals who held positions of authority or were members of religious orders.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Ordonez can be traced back to the 12th and 13th centuries in medieval Spain. During this period, the name appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts, such as the Cantar de Mio Cid, an epic poem that chronicles the life of the Castilian nobleman Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, also known as El Cid.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname Ordonez was Gonzalo Ordonez, a Spanish explorer and conquistador who accompanied Francisco Pizarro on his expeditions to Peru in the 16th century. Gonzalo Ordonez played a significant role in the conquest of the Inca Empire and is mentioned in several accounts of the time.
In the 17th century, the surname Ordonez was also found in Portugal, where it was associated with the Portuguese nobility. One prominent figure was Joao Ordonez de Lara, a Portuguese military commander who served in the Portuguese Restoration War against Spain in the mid-17th century.
During the colonial era, the surname Ordonez spread to various parts of the Spanish Empire, including the Americas. One notable individual was Diego de Ordonez, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico under Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Another prominent figure was José Agustín de Ordonez, a Spanish-born military engineer and architect who lived in the 18th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of colonial architecture in Mexico, where he designed and oversaw the construction of several notable buildings, including the Hospicio Cabañas in Guadalajara.
As the surname Ordonez spread throughout the Spanish-speaking world, it also adopted various regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. For example, in some areas of Latin America, the name is spelled as "Ordóñez" or "Ordoñez," reflecting local linguistic traditions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ordonez
Among Census respondents with the surname Ordonez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and White (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ordonez 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 Ordonez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino89.3% · 17,620
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.0% · 983
- White4.4% · 865
- Two or more races0.7% · 134
- Black or African American0.5% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 33
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ordonez
Ordonez 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
#1,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,498
+7,132 bearers (+62.7%)
Per 100,000 6.27
Rank movement Up 954 places
2020
#1,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,733
+1,235 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 6.60
Rank movement Up 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,906 | 11,366 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,952 | 18,498 | 6.27 | +7,132 bearers (+62.7%) | Up 954 places |
| 2020 | #1,774 | 19,733 | 6.60 | +1,235 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 178 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 Ordonez 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 | #1,952 | #1,774 | 9.1% |
| Count | 18,498 | 19,733 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 6.27 | 6.60 | 5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ordonez bearers went from 18,498 to 19,733 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,952 to #1,774.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ordonez
FAQ
Ordonez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ordonez?
Name Census estimates that about 22,628 living Americans carry the surname Ordonez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,147 residents.
How common is Ordonez?
Ordonez ranks #1,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,733 people with the surname Ordonez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Ordonez.
Has Ordonez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ordonez went from 18,498 recorded bearers to 19,733. That is an increase of 1,235 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,952 to #1,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Ordonez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ordonez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%) and White (4.4%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ordonez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (17,620 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ordonez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (89.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.0%), White (4.4%). 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 Ordonez (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 Ordonez mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating one's origin from any of numerous places named Ordoño, Ordóñez, or Ordones. 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 Ordonez (6.60 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 common is the surname Ordonez?
Want to know how many people have the last name Ordonez? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.