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

Ore, 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 Ore surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ore in America

Ore is the 15673rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ore surname appeared 1,862 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ore.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ore 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 Ore

The surname Ore has its origins in Norway, dating back to the Viking era around the 8th to 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old Norse word "or," meaning a gravel bank or a piece of land by a river. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name lived in areas with such geographic features.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ore surname can be found in the Landnámabók, a medieval Icelandic manuscript that chronicles the settlement of Iceland in the 9th and 10th centuries. The manuscript mentions an individual named Hrafn Orri, who settled in the region of Vatnsdalur in northern Iceland.

In England, the Ore surname first appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name was recorded as "de Ora" and was likely brought to England by Norse settlers or Norman invaders with Scandinavian roots.

The Ore surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Ore in Sussex, England, and Ore Valley in Shropshire, England. These place names may have influenced the adoption or spelling variations of the surname.

Notable historical figures with the Ore surname include:

1. Öre Ögmundsson (c. 1100-1180), an Icelandic chieftain and lawspeaker who played a significant role in the Sturlung Era of Icelandic history.
2. George Ore (1848-1926), an American politician who served as the 22nd Governor of Wyoming from 1899 to 1903.
3. Øystein Ore (1899-1968), a Norwegian-American mathematician known for his contributions to graph theory and combinatorics.
4. Arne Øre (1927-2010), a Norwegian writer and playwright who received the Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature in 1964.
5. Helge Ore (1917-2002), a Norwegian-American mathematician and professor at Yale University, known for his work in graph theory and combinatorics.

While the Ore surname has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through migration and exploration during the Viking and Medieval periods. Despite its geographical dispersal, the name retains its connection to the rugged landscapes and settlements of its Norse origins.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ore

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

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 Ore 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 Ore 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 Ore was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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