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

Orey, 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 Orey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orey in America

Orey is the 64559th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orey surname appeared 308 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 Orey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orey 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 Orey

The surname Orey has its origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the Old English words "ora" meaning "border" or "edge" and "eg" meaning "island" or "land enclosed by water." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near the edge of an island or coastal region.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Orey appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Oriei" and associated with landholdings in the county of Lincolnshire. This indicates that the name had already become established in England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name Orey was predominantly found in the eastern counties of England, particularly in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk. This distribution likely reflects the name's origins as a locational identifier for individuals residing near coastal or island regions in that area.

One notable early bearer of the name was William Orey, a landowner and nobleman who lived in the village of Oreby, Lincolnshire, in the late 12th century. He was recorded as a witness to several legal documents and land transactions during the reign of King Richard I (1189-1199).

Another historical figure with this surname was Margery Orey, a wealthy widow from Norfolk who endowed a chantry chapel in the village of Ludham in 1443. This act of patronage suggests that the Orey family had achieved a certain level of prosperity and social standing by the 15th century.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in various spellings, including Orie, Orye, and Orre, reflecting the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that period. One example is John Orie, a merchant and alderman in the city of Norwich, who was recorded in the city's records in the 1570s.

Another notable individual was Robert Orey, a English colonist who settled in Virginia in the early 17th century. He was among the first settlers to establish a permanent presence in the Jamestown colony and played a role in the colony's survival and development.

As the surname spread across England and eventually to other parts of the British Empire, it also underwent further variations in spelling, including Orey, Ory, and Orie. Despite these changes, the name has maintained a strong connection to its Anglo-Saxon roots and its association with coastal and island regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orey

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

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

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

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