2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Orgas
A surname indicating someone's ancestor lived near an organ or musical instrument.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Orgas. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orgas 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Orgas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orgas
The surname ORGAS has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the regions of Spain and Portugal, dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to derive from the Galician-Portuguese word "orga," which means "watercourse" or "small stream." The name likely originated as a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a watercourse or a small stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ORGAS surname can be found in the 16th-century Spanish document "Catastro de Ensenada," which was a census-like record of property and landowners. This document mentions individuals with the surname ORGAS residing in various parts of Spain, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Asturias.
In the 17th century, the name ORGAS appeared in several Portuguese parish records, indicating its presence in the country during that time. One notable individual was João de Orgas (1620-1695), a Portuguese Catholic priest and theologian who served as the rector of the University of Coimbra.
In the 18th century, there are records of the ORGAS surname in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, particularly in Cuba and Mexico. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been among the early Spanish settlers in the New World.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the ORGAS surname was José María Orgas (1801-1878), a Spanish military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Puerto Rico from 1847 to 1848.
Another notable figure was Emilio Orgas Osés (1870-1951), a Spanish lawyer and politician who served as the Mayor of Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre, from 1920 to 1923.
Throughout the centuries, the ORGAS surname has been associated with various place names and localities, some of which may have influenced the spelling or pronunciation of the name. For instance, the village of Orgas in the municipality of Avión, Spain, may have contributed to the surname's origin or variations.
It is important to note that while these examples provide insights into the historical presence and distribution of the ORGAS surname, they may not represent an exhaustive account of all individuals who bore this name throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orgas
Among Census respondents with the surname Orgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Orgas 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 Orgas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White51.8% · 58
- Hispanic or Latino27.7% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander14.3% · 16
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orgas
Orgas 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,136 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+8 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,090 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 11,136 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.7%) | Up 8,090 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 Orgas 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 | #156,044 | #147,954 | 5.2% |
| Count | 104 | 112 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orgas bearers went from 104 to 112 (+7.7% change). The surname moved up 8,090 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #147,954.
FAQ
Orgas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orgas?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Orgas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Orgas?
Orgas ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Orgas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Orgas.
Has Orgas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orgas went from 104 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 8 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Orgas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 51.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Orgas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 51.8% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orgas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (51.8%), Hispanic (27.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (14.3%). 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 Orgas (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 Orgas mean?
A surname indicating someone's ancestor lived near an organ or musical instrument. 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 Orgas (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Orgas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.