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

Ormsby, 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 Ormsby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ormsby in America

Ormsby is the 8981st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ormsby surname appeared 3,643 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ormsby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ormsby 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 Ormsby

The surname Ormsby has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old Norse words "ormr" meaning serpent or dragon, and "by" meaning a farmstead or village. This suggests that the name originated from a settlement, possibly called Ormsby, where individuals may have lived near or were associated with a serpent-like shape or emblem.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants throughout England after the Norman Conquest. The entry mentions an individual named Orme, who held lands in Lincolnshire. This could be an early variant of the surname Ormsby.

Over the centuries, the name has been spelled in various ways, including Ormesby, Ormsby, Ormesbi, and Ormisby, reflecting regional variations and evolving spelling conventions. Some of these variations are also found in place names across England, such as Ormesby in Norfolk and Ormesby St. Margaret in Yorkshire.

Notable individuals with the surname Ormsby include:

1. John Ormsby (1829-1895), an English scholar and translator best known for his acclaimed English translation of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote.

2. Sir Lambert Ormsby (1619-1688), an Irish soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War.

3. William Gregory Ormsby (1832-1889), an Irish-born Anglican priest and author who became the Archdeacon of Northumberland.

4. Leonard Ormsby-Gore (1825-1904), a British politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Shropshire.

5. John Ormsby Evelyn Heathcoat-Amory (1886-1954), a British Conservative politician and Member of Parliament for Tiverton.

While the surname Ormsby has roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through British emigration and colonization. However, the historical origins and early references to the name remain closely tied to its English heritage and the medieval period.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ormsby

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

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

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

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