2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Orobio
A Spanish surname of Portuguese-Jewish origin, perhaps referring to someone from the Portuguese town of Arouca.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Orobio. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orobio 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Orobio in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orobio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and White (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orobio
The surname Orobio is of Spanish and Jewish origin, traced back to the Sephardic Jewish communities of Spain during the Middle Ages. It is believed to derive from the Spanish word "oro," meaning "gold," potentially referencing the occupation of goldsmiths or the affluence of certain families bearing this name.
One of the earliest known references to the Orobio surname can be found in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, which persecuted and forced the conversion or expulsion of Jews from Spain in the late 15th century. Many Sephardic Jews fled Spain during this period, settling in various parts of Europe, North Africa, and the Ottoman Empire, carrying their surnames with them.
In the 16th century, a prominent individual named Isaac Orobio de Castro (1617-1687) was born in Bragança, Portugal, to a family of Marrano Jews (Jews who publicly converted to Christianity but secretly practiced Judaism). He later emigrated to Amsterdam, where he openly embraced Judaism and became a renowned philosopher and polemicist, writing extensively on the Jewish faith and engaging in debates with Christian theologians.
Another notable figure with the Orobio surname was Balthasar Orobio (c. 1620-1687), a Marrano Jew from Seville, Spain, who later settled in Amsterdam and became a prominent member of the Jewish community there. He is known for his involvement in the famous theological dispute with the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, challenging Spinoza's ideas on religion and philosophy.
In the 19th century, a Spanish author and journalist named Manuel María Orobio y Hualde (1835-1904) gained recognition for his works on literature and politics. He was born in Seville and played an active role in the intellectual and cultural life of his time.
Another figure of note is the American businessman and philanthropist Jack Orobio (1918-2003), who was born in New York City to a family of Sephardic Jewish descent. He made significant contributions to various charitable organizations and was involved in real estate and banking endeavors.
While the Orobio surname has its roots in Spain and the Sephardic Jewish diaspora, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with families bearing this name found in various countries, including the United States, Latin America, and other regions where Sephardic Jews have settled over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orobio
Among Census respondents with the surname Orobio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and White (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Orobio 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 Orobio surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino86.8% · 105
- Black or African American9.1% · 11
- White1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orobio
Orobio appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,446 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 Orobio 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 | #133,863 | #141,309 | -5.6% |
| Count | 126 | 121 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orobio bearers went from 126 to 121 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #141,309.
FAQ
Orobio surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orobio?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Orobio. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Orobio?
Orobio ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Orobio. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Orobio.
Has Orobio become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orobio went from 126 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Orobio?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orobio, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (9.1%) and White (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Orobio in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orobio appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (86.8%), Black (9.1%), White (1.7%). 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 Orobio (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 Orobio mean?
A Spanish surname of Portuguese-Jewish origin, perhaps referring to someone from the Portuguese town of Arouca. 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 Orobio (0.04 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 Orobio?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.