2000
#2,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,943
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.54
Uncommon Last name
Orellana
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Orellana.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,543 Americans carry the last name Orellana. That puts it at #1,144 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,923 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orellana 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
35K
1 in 9,923
Census rank
#1,144
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,123 bearers of the surname Orellana in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1144th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orellana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orellana
Among Census respondents with the surname Orellana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Orellana 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 Orellana surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.3% · 28,700
- White3.5% · 1,065
- Black or African American0.4% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 127
- Two or more races0.2% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orellana
Orellana 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
#1,319
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,651
+11,708 bearers (+78.4%)
Per 100,000 9.03
Rank movement Up 910 places
2020
#1,144
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,123
+3,472 bearers (+13.0%)
Per 100,000 10.08
Rank movement Up 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,229 | 14,943 | 5.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,319 | 26,651 | 9.03 | +11,708 bearers (+78.4%) | Up 910 places |
| 2020 | #1,144 | 30,123 | 10.08 | +3,472 bearers (+13.0%) | Up 175 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 Orellana 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 | #1,319 | #1,144 | 13.3% |
| Count | 26,651 | 30,123 | 13.0% |
| Per 100K | 9.03 | 10.08 | 11.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orellana bearers went from 26,651 to 30,123 (+13.0% change). The surname moved up 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,319 to #1,144.
FAQ
Orellana surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orellana?
Name Census estimates that about 34,543 living Americans carry the surname Orellana. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,923 residents.
How common is Orellana?
Orellana ranks #1,144 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,123 people with the surname Orellana. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Orellana.
Has Orellana become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orellana went from 26,651 recorded bearers to 30,123. That is an increase of 3,472 (+13.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,319 to #1,144.
What does the Census say about the background of Orellana?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orellana, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.5%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Orellana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (28,700 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orellana appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.3%), White (3.5%), Black (0.4%). 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 Orellana (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 Orellana mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Orellana. 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 Orellana (10.08 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 many people have the surname Orellana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.