2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oriolo
An Italian place name surname possibly derived from the town of Oriolo.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Oriolo. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oriolo 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Oriolo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oriolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oriolo
The surname Oriolo has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Sicily and Calabria. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Italian word "oriolo," which means "sundial" or "clock." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked as a clockmaker or sundial maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Oriolo can be found in a document from the city of Palermo, Sicily, dated 1296. In this document, a man named Giovanni Oriolo was mentioned as a landowner in the area. Another notable early reference is in a tax record from the town of Reggio Calabria in 1438, where a family with the surname Oriolo was listed among the local residents.
During the Renaissance period, there are records of an Oriolo family residing in the city of Naples. One member of this family, Pietro Oriolo (1458-1524), was a renowned artist and sculptor who worked on various commissions for churches and noble patrons in Naples and surrounding areas.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Oriolo family migrated to the island of Malta, where they established themselves as merchants and traders. One prominent figure from this lineage was Girolamo Oriolo (1629-1701), who served as a magistrate and was involved in the governance of the island under the Knights of St. John.
Another notable individual with the surname Oriolo was Antonio Oriolo (1778-1845), a military officer and patriot from Calabria. He played a significant role in the Neapolitan Republic of 1799 and later fought against the French during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, a family of Oriolos settled in the town of Castelbuono, in the province of Palermo, Sicily. This branch of the family produced several professionals, including lawyers, doctors, and educators. One member, Giuseppe Oriolo (1842-1912), was a respected physician and philanthropist who founded a hospital in Castelbuono.
Throughout its history, the surname Oriolo has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling. In some regions, it was written as "Orioli" or "Oriulo," reflecting local dialects and linguistic variations. Additionally, there are places in Italy, such as the town of Oriolo Calabro in the province of Cosenza, that may have contributed to the origin of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oriolo
Among Census respondents with the surname Oriolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Oriolo 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 Oriolo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino19.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oriolo
Oriolo 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,358 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,358 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 129 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 Oriolo 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 | #144,141 | #144,270 | -0.1% |
| Count | 115 | 117 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oriolo bearers went from 115 to 117 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #144,270.
FAQ
Oriolo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oriolo?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Oriolo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Oriolo?
Oriolo ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Oriolo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Oriolo.
Has Oriolo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oriolo went from 115 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Oriolo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oriolo, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Oriolo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oriolo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Hispanic (19.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Oriolo (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 Oriolo mean?
An Italian place name surname possibly derived from the town of Oriolo. 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 Oriolo (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 Oriolo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.