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

Orlow, 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 Orlow surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orlow in America

Orlow is the 71042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orlow surname appeared 275 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 Orlow.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orlow 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 Orlow

The surname Orlow is believed to have originated in Poland, where it was derived from the Old Polish word "oryl," meaning "eagle." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with eagles or had some association with these majestic birds.

The earliest known record of the Orlow surname dates back to the 14th century, when it appeared in the historical records of the Polish city of Krakow. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Orloff" or "Orłow," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the Orlow surname was Jan Orlow, a prominent merchant from the city of Poznan, who lived in the late 15th century. His success in trade likely contributed to the spread of the name across Poland and neighboring regions.

In the 16th century, the Orlow surname gained recognition when Grigory Orlov (1734-1783), a Russian nobleman and military leader, rose to prominence during the reign of Catherine the Great. Orlov played a pivotal role in the coup d'état that brought Catherine to power and was later appointed as her chief adviser and lover.

Another notable individual bearing the Orlow surname was Mikhail Orlov (1788-1842), a Russian count and diplomat who served as the ambassador to France and Turkey during the early 19th century. His diplomatic efforts helped to strengthen Russia's international relations and secure important alliances.

In the realm of literature, the Orlow surname is associated with the Polish-born writer and philosopher, Józef Orłowski (1801-1876), who wrote extensively on social and political issues in the 19th century. His works, such as "On the Moral and Social Dignity of the Laboring Class," were influential in shaping the intellectual discourse of his time.

While the Orlow surname originated in Poland, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation reflecting the diverse cultures and languages in which it has been adopted.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orlow

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Orlow, 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!