2000
#9,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Orndorff
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a place with a spring or well.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,387 Americans carry the last name Orndorff. That puts it at #10,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,197 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orndorff 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.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,197
Census rank
#10,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,954 bearers of the surname Orndorff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orndorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orndorff
The surname Orndorff has its origins in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Orn," which means "eagle," combined with the word "dorf," meaning "village" or "town." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place named after an eagle or a location where eagles were prevalent.
The earliest recorded instance of the Orndorff name can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Obermoschel, in the Palatinate region of Germany, in the year 1595. Here, the name was spelled "Orndorff." Over time, various spellings emerged, including Orndorf, Orndorfer, and Orndorfer.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Johann Orndorff, a German immigrant who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737. He settled in what is now Franklin County and became a prominent farmer and landowner. His descendants continued to use the Orndorff spelling, and many of them remained in the region for generations.
Another early record of the Orndorff name can be found in the church records of Kirchheimbolanden, a town in the Palatinate region, where an individual named Hans Orndorff was born in 1638.
In the 18th century, several Orndorff families emigrated from Germany to America, seeking religious freedom and economic opportunities. One such family was that of Johannes Orndorff, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 and eventually settled in Virginia.
A notable figure from this lineage was Samuel Orndorff, born in 1784 in Virginia. He served as a captain in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent businessman and landowner in the Shenandoah Valley region.
Another individual of historical significance was Jacob Orndorff, born in 1791 in Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and miller who played a role in the early development of the milling industry in the region.
As the Orndorff family spread throughout the United States, they contributed to various fields, including agriculture, manufacturing, and public service. While the name may have evolved slightly in its spelling over time, its German origins and connection to the concept of an "eagle village" have remained a part of its historical narrative.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orndorff
Among Census respondents with the surname Orndorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Orndorff 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 Orndorff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,665
- Two or more races4.0% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 78
- Black or African American2.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orndorff
Orndorff 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
#10,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,145
-31 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 849 places
2020
#10,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,954
-191 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,401 | 3,176 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,250 | 3,145 | 1.07 | -31 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 849 places |
| 2020 | #10,371 | 2,954 | 0.99 | -191 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 121 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 Orndorff 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 | #10,250 | #10,371 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,145 | 2,954 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.99 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orndorff bearers went from 3,145 to 2,954 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,250 to #10,371.
FAQ
Orndorff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orndorff?
Name Census estimates that about 3,387 living Americans carry the surname Orndorff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,197 residents.
How common is Orndorff?
Orndorff ranks #10,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,954 people with the surname Orndorff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,387), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Orndorff.
Has Orndorff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orndorff went from 3,145 recorded bearers to 2,954. That is a decrease of 191 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,250 to #10,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Orndorff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orndorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Orndorff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orndorff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Orndorff (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 Orndorff mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived near a place with a spring or well. 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 Orndorff (0.99 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 Americans have the surname Orndorff?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.