2000
#16,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,609
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Orner
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Orn" meaning corner or angle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,658 Americans carry the last name Orner. That puts it at #18,820 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 206,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orner 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
1.7K
1 in 206,728
Census rank
#18,820
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,446 bearers of the surname Orner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18820th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orner
The surname ORNER is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria. It is thought to have derived from the Germanic word "orn," which means "eagle." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who possessed eagle-like qualities or bore a resemblance to the majestic bird.
In the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or locations. The name ORNER could also be linked to the German town of Orn, located in the district of Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen in Bavaria. It is possible that the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from this town or the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ORNER surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In this document, a certain Heinrich Orner is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
During the 16th century, the ORNER name appeared in various records, including the Kirchenbücher (church books) of Augsburg, a city in Bavaria. One notable bearer of the name was Johannes Orner, a merchant and guild member who lived from 1525 to 1589.
In the 17th century, the ORNER surname gained prominence in the region of Franconia, which was then part of the Holy Roman Empire. A notable figure from this period was Georg Orner, a scholar and theologian who lived from 1623 to 1695. His works on religious philosophy and ethics were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
Moving into the 18th century, the ORNER name can be found in the records of the Bavarian town of Ingolstadt. One of the town's prominent citizens was Johann Michael Orner, a successful merchant and landowner who lived from 1710 to 1782.
Another significant bearer of the ORNER surname was Johann Christoph Orner, a German composer and musician who lived from 1767 to 1835. He is best known for his contributions to church music and his work as a music teacher in the city of Nuremberg.
In the 19th century, the ORNER name gained recognition beyond Germany, as some individuals emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Carl Orner, a German-born artist who settled in the United States and became known for his landscape paintings. He lived from 1828 to 1901.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orner
Among Census respondents with the surname Orner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Orner 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 Orner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,311
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 61
- Two or more races2.8% · 40
- Black or African American1.0% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orner
Orner 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
#17,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,664
+55 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 607 places
2020
#18,820
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,446
-218 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.48
Rank movement Down 1,757 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,456 | 1,609 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,063 | 1,664 | 0.56 | +55 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 607 places |
| 2020 | #18,820 | 1,446 | 0.48 | -218 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 1,757 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 Orner 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 | #17,063 | #18,820 | -10.3% |
| Count | 1,664 | 1,446 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.48 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orner bearers went from 1,664 to 1,446 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 1,757 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,063 to #18,820.
FAQ
Orner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orner?
Name Census estimates that about 1,658 living Americans carry the surname Orner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 206,728 residents.
How common is Orner?
Orner ranks #18,820 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,446 people with the surname Orner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,658), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Orner.
Has Orner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orner went from 1,664 recorded bearers to 1,446. That is a decrease of 218 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,063 to #18,820.
What does the Census say about the background of Orner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Orner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Orner (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 Orner mean?
A surname potentially derived from the German word "Orn" meaning corner or angle. 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 Orner (0.48 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 people share the surname Orner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.