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

Orlando, 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 Orlando surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orlando in America

Orlando is the 2865th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orlando surname appeared 12,586 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Orlando.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orlando 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 Orlando

The surname Orlando originated in Italy, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Italian given name Orlando, which itself stems from the Old French word "Rolant," meaning "famous throughout the land." This name was popularized by the legendary French hero Roland, a military leader who served under Charlemagne and played a pivotal role in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Orlando can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Cavensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Cava de' Tirreni monastery in Campania, Italy. This text, dating back to the late 12th century, references an individual named Orlandus de Neapoli (Orlando of Naples).

The name Orlando is also associated with various place names across Italy, such as the town of Orlandini in the province of Piacenza, and the village of Orlanducci in the province of Siena. These place names may have influenced the formation of the surname or vice versa.

Among the notable historical figures bearing the surname Orlando, one can mention Gian Battista Orlando (1532-1592), an Italian composer and organist who served at the court of the Medici family in Florence. Another prominent figure was Pietro Orlando (1548-1628), an Italian writer and poet who authored several works, including the epic poem "La Gerusalemme Liberata."

In the 17th century, Giovanni Orlando (1616-1692) was a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. He worked as a professor at the University of Pisa and was a member of the Accademia del Cimento, an influential scientific society of the time.

Moving forward, Giuseppe Orlando (1778-1858) was an Italian politician and jurist who served as the Minister of Justice in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies during the early 19th century. He played a crucial role in the codification of civil and criminal laws in the region.

Finally, one cannot overlook the notable Italian politician and statesman Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (1860-1952), who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 1917 to 1919. He was a key figure in the negotiations leading to the Treaty of Versailles after World War I and played a significant role in shaping the post-war order in Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orlando

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!