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

Orenday, 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 Orenday surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orenday in America

Orenday is the 72332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orenday surname appeared 269 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 Orenday.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orenday 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 Orenday

The surname ORENDAY is believed to have originated in the Basque region of Spain and France, which lies along the western Pyrenees mountain range. Its roots can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 8th to 10th centuries.

One theory suggests that ORENDAY is derived from the Basque words "oren" (meaning "hour" or "time") and "dai" (a suffix indicating a person or thing associated with something). Thus, the name may have originally referred to a timekeeper, a person responsible for keeping track of time or regulating daily activities.

Another potential origin links ORENDAY to the Basque word "orenda," which means "spiritual power" or "life force." This could indicate that the name was once associated with individuals believed to possess spiritual or mystical abilities.

Early records of the ORENDAY surname are scarce, but it is believed to have appeared in various Basque and Spanish documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable mention is found in the "Codex Calixtinus," a 12th-century manuscript containing accounts of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

In the 15th century, a man named Juan ORENDAY was recorded as a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Bilbao, in the Basque region of Spain. Another notable figure was Catalina ORENDAY, a 16th-century writer and poet from the Basque Country.

During the 17th century, the ORENDAY surname spread beyond the Basque region as members of the family migrated to other parts of Spain and Europe. One notable individual was Pedro ORENDAY, a Spanish explorer who accompanied the expedition of Hernán Cortés to Mexico in the early 1500s.

In the 18th century, a man named José ORENDAY served as a military officer in the Spanish army and was involved in the defense of the city of Zaragoza during the Peninsular War against Napoleon's forces.

The 19th century saw the birth of Mariano ORENDAY, a renowned Basque sculptor and artist who was known for his intricate wood carvings and religious artwork.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orenday

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

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

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

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