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

O'Roark, 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 O'Roark surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of O'Roark in America

O'Roark is the 54055th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The O'Roark surname appeared 382 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 O'Roark.

We can also compare 2010 data for O'Roark 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 O'Roark

The surname OROARK originated in the English county of Warwickshire during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ora" meaning border or boundary, and "aecer" meaning field or acre. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked on a border field.

One of the earliest known records of the OROARK name appears in the Warwickshire Hundred Rolls of 1275, where a Richard Orakre is listed as a landowner. The spelling variations at that time included Orakre, Orakyr, and Oroakyr.

In the 14th century, the Lay Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire mention several OROARK families, such as John Oroakyr (1332) and William Oroaker (1346). These suggest the name may have originated from a specific place name that is no longer in use.

A notable early bearer of the OROARK name was Sir John Oroark (c.1420-1489), a knight who served under Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses. He was granted lands in Staffordshire for his military service.

During the 16th century, the OROARK spelling became more standardized, appearing in parish records across the West Midlands region. Examples include the baptism of Alice Oroark in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1562, and the marriage of Thomas Oroark and Elizabeth Smythe in Coventry in 1587.

In the 17th century, the OROARK name spread further afield, with bearers recorded in London and other parts of England. One prominent individual was Richard Oroark (1628-1694), a wealthy merchant and alderman in the City of London.

As the OROARK name continued into the 18th and 19th centuries, it remained concentrated in the West Midlands area, particularly in Warwickshire and Staffordshire. However, some bearers did migrate to other parts of the British Isles and even to the American colonies. Among these was William Oroark (1755-1832), an early settler in Virginia who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name O'Roark

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname O'Roark.

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 O'Roark 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 O'Roark 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 O'Roark was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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