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

Orejuela, 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 Orejuela surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orejuela in America

Orejuela is the 54637th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orejuela surname appeared 377 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 Orejuela.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orejuela 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 Orejuela

The surname Orejuela originates from Spain and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "oreja," which means "ear," and the diminutive suffix "-uela." The name likely referred to someone with a distinctive or prominent ear feature.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Orejuela can be found in the archives of the town of Lorca, in the region of Murcia, Spain, dating back to the late 1400s. The name was also present in other parts of Spain, such as Andalusia and Castile, during the same period.

In the 16th century, the Orejuela surname appeared in various historical documents and records, including parish registers and legal proceedings. One notable figure from this time was Diego de Orejuela, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas, the Orejuela surname spread to the New World. In the 17th century, several individuals bearing this name settled in various parts of Spanish colonial territories, including present-day Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the Orejuela surname in the Americas is Juan de Orejuela, a Spanish soldier and settler who arrived in the region of Popayán, in present-day Colombia, around 1560. He is believed to have played a role in the establishment of settlements in the area.

Another notable figure with the Orejuela surname was Manuel Antonio Orejuela (1744-1823), a Colombian military officer and politician who fought in the Wars of Independence against Spanish colonial rule. He served as a deputy in the Congress of the United Provinces of New Granada and played a significant role in the independence movement in the region.

In the 19th century, the Orejuela surname continued to be present in various parts of Latin America, particularly in Colombia and Ecuador. One prominent individual from this period was José María Orejuela (1822-1889), an Ecuadorian politician and lawyer who served as the President of Ecuador from 1876 to 1878.

As the 20th century approached, the Orejuela surname had become well-established in several Latin American countries, with individuals bearing this name contributing to various fields, including politics, arts, and academia.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orejuela

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

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

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

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