2000
#2,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,353
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.58
Uncommon Last name
Orlando
An Italian habitational surname referring to someone from the city of Orland or Orlando.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,733 Americans carry the last name Orlando. That puts it at #2,939 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orlando 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Orlando with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,958
Census rank
#2,939
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,976 bearers of the surname Orlando in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2939th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orlando, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orlando
Among Census respondents with the surname Orlando, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Orlando 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 Orlando surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 10,444
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 989
- Two or more races2.1% · 252
- Black or African American1.3% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orlando
Orlando 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
#2,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,586
+233 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 4.27
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#2,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,976
-610 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 4.01
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,688 | 12,353 | 4.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,865 | 12,586 | 4.27 | +233 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #2,939 | 11,976 | 4.01 | -610 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 74 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 Orlando 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 | #2,865 | #2,939 | -2.6% |
| Count | 12,586 | 11,976 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.27 | 4.01 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orlando bearers went from 12,586 to 11,976 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,865 to #2,939.
FAQ
Orlando surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orlando?
Name Census estimates that about 13,733 living Americans carry the surname Orlando. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,958 residents.
How common is Orlando?
Orlando ranks #2,939 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.01 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,976 people with the surname Orlando. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.01 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Orlando.
Has Orlando become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orlando went from 12,586 recorded bearers to 11,976. That is a decrease of 610 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,865 to #2,939.
What does the Census say about the background of Orlando?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orlando, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Orlando in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (10,444 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orlando appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Orlando (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 Orlando mean?
An Italian habitational surname referring to someone from the city of Orland or Orlando. 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 Orlando (4.01 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 people have the last name Orlando?
Want to know how many people have the surname Orlando? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.