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

Orecchio, 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 Orecchio surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orecchio in America

Orecchio is the 63698th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orecchio surname appeared 313 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 Orecchio.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orecchio 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 Orecchio

The surname "ORECCHIO" is of Italian origin, believed to have originated in the southern regions of Italy, particularly in the areas of Sicily and Calabria. The name is derived from the Italian word "orecchio," which means "ear," suggesting that it may have been an occupational name for someone who worked as an ear doctor or perhaps a nickname for someone with distinctive ears.

The earliest known record of the name "ORECCHIO" can be traced back to the 14th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and records from the regions of Sicily and Calabria. One notable example is the appearance of the name in the "Codice Diplomatico di Sicilia," a collection of documents related to the history of Sicily, dating back to the year 1336.

In the 15th century, the surname "ORECCHIO" gained prominence in the town of Reggio Calabria, where several families with this name were documented in local records. One of the earliest known individuals bearing this surname was Francesco Orecchio, a renowned painter born in Reggio Calabria in the year 1460.

As the name spread throughout Italy, it adopted various spellings and variations, such as "Orecchioni," "Orecchione," and "Orecchini," which are still found in different regions today. These variations often reflected regional dialects and linguistic influences.

In the 16th century, the name "ORECCHIO" appeared in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, which had a presence in Sicily during that time. One notable figure was Giovanni Orecchio, a Sicilian merchant who was accused of heresy by the Inquisition in 1564.

During the 17th century, the name "ORECCHIO" gained further recognition with the birth of Giacomo Orecchio, a prominent Sicilian philosopher and theologian who lived from 1629 to 1698. His works on moral philosophy and theology were widely acclaimed and contributed to the intellectual discourse of the time.

In the 19th century, the surname "ORECCHIO" spread beyond Italy as Italian immigrants began to migrate to other parts of the world, particularly to the Americas. One notable figure from this era was Antonio Orecchio, a Sicilian immigrant who settled in New York City in the 1880s and became a successful businessman and philanthropist, contributing to the establishment of several Italian-American organizations.

Throughout its history, the surname "ORECCHIO" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, merchants, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those bearing this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orecchio

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

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

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

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