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

Orellana, 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 Orellana surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orellana in America

Orellana is the 1319th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orellana surname appeared 26,651 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Orellana.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orellana 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 Orellana

The surname Orellana originated in Spain, and its roots can be traced back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Spanish word "orella," which means "ear" or "handle," suggesting a possible connection to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Orellana can be found in the medieval documents of the Kingdom of Aragon. In the year 1235, a nobleman named Pedro de Orellana was mentioned in a charter granted by King Jaime I.

The name Orellana gained prominence during the Spanish colonization of the Americas in the 16th century. One of the most notable figures associated with this surname was Francisco de Orellana, a Spanish explorer and conquistador born around 1511 in Trujillo, Spain. He is renowned for leading the first known expedition to navigate the entire length of the Amazon River, which he named after a mythical tribe of female warriors.

Another historical figure bearing the surname Orellana was Diego de Orellana, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico in the early 16th century. He played a crucial role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire and was later granted encomiendas (land grants) in New Spain.

In the 17th century, the Orellana family established themselves in the Spanish colonial territories of South America, particularly in present-day Ecuador and Peru. One notable member was Pedro de Orellana y Sotomayor, born in Quito in 1632, who served as the Governor of Popayán (now part of Colombia) from 1686 to 1693.

The name Orellana can also be found in historical records from the Canary Islands, where it is believed to have been present since the 15th century. One notable individual from this region was Juan de Orellana, a military commander who played a significant role in the conquest of the Canary Islands in the late 15th century.

Throughout the centuries, the Orellana surname has been associated with various notable individuals in different fields, including politics, military, arts, and literature. Some examples include Emilio Orellana, a Chilean poet and educator born in 1877, and José Orellana, a Guatemalan painter and sculptor born in 1920.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orellana

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

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

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

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