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

Orlov, 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 Orlov surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orlov in America

Orlov is the 32302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orlov surname appeared 713 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 Orlov.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orlov 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 Orlov

The surname Orlov is of Russian origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "orel," meaning "eagle." The name was likely given to someone who had a connection with eagles, perhaps a falconer or someone who lived near a place where eagles nested.

The earliest recorded instances of the Orlov surname are found in historical documents from the Moscow region during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century. One notable example is Ivan Orlov, a boyar (nobleman) who served as a military commander under Ivan the Terrible in the 1550s.

In the 17th century, the Orlov family gained prominence and wealth through their service to the Romanov dynasty. One of the most famous members of the Orlov family was Grigory Orlov (1734-1783), a military leader and favorite of Catherine the Great. He played a pivotal role in the coup that brought Catherine to power in 1762 and was later appointed as the Director of the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Another notable figure with the Orlov surname was Mikhail Orlov (1788-1842), a Russian nobleman and diplomat who served as the Russian ambassador to France in the early 19th century. He was also a patron of the arts and helped establish the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.

In the 19th century, the Orlov surname was associated with several Russian writers and intellectuals. One example is Alexander Orlov (1835-1901), a novelist and playwright who was known for his works depicting the lives of Russian nobility.

The Orlov surname is also connected to the famous Orlov diamonds. These diamonds were part of a massive diamond that was discovered in India in the 18th century and eventually cut into several smaller diamonds, with two of the largest pieces becoming known as the Orlov diamonds. These diamonds were acquired by the Orlov family and later became part of the Russian imperial regalia.

Throughout history, the Orlov surname has been linked to various places and regions within Russia. Some variations of the name include Orlov, Orlovskiy, and Orlovets, which may have been derived from specific towns or villages where branches of the Orlov family resided.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orlov

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

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

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

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