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

Ornellas, 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 Ornellas surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ornellas in America

Ornellas is the 26143rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ornellas surname appeared 936 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 Ornellas.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ornellas 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 Ornellas

The surname Ornellas is of Portuguese origin, originating in the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Portuguese word "ornella," which means "a small container or vase." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who made or sold such containers.

The earliest known record of the Ornellas surname dates back to 1521, when it appeared in a land registry in the Azores Islands, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. This registry listed several families with the name Ornellas residing on the island of São Miguel.

In the 17th century, the Ornellas name began to spread throughout Portugal and its colonies. One notable figure from this time was João Ornellas (1629-1701), a Portuguese explorer and navigator who was part of the first European expedition to reach the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

As the Portuguese empire expanded, so did the reach of the Ornellas surname. In the 18th century, there are records of Ornellas families living in Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique. One prominent individual was Manuel Ornellas (1772-1834), a Brazilian military officer who fought in the Peninsular War against Napoleon's forces.

The 19th century saw Ornellas individuals make their mark in various fields. José Ornellas (1813-1888) was a renowned Portuguese poet and writer, while António Ornellas (1856-1921) was a celebrated architect who designed several iconic buildings in Lisbon.

In the 20th century, the Ornellas surname continued to be well-represented. Manuel Ornellas (1907-1985) was a prominent Portuguese politician who served as a member of parliament and held several ministerial positions. Additionally, António Ornellas (1928-2012) was a highly respected Portuguese painter and sculptor whose works are displayed in museums across Europe.

While the Ornellas surname originated in Portugal, it has since spread to many other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, as Portuguese immigrants settled in these countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ornellas

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

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

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

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