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

Orphey, 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 Orphey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orphey in America

Orphey is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orphey surname appeared 173 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 Orphey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orphey 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 Orphey

The surname ORPHEY is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "orf," meaning livestock or cattle, and "hey," meaning an enclosed area or pasture. Thus, the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with livestock in an enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ORPHEY can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Orfhey" in this document, indicating its presence in England during the Norman conquest.

In the 13th century, records show a William Orfhey residing in the village of Orfheydon, located in the county of Suffolk. This place name is believed to have been derived from the surname itself, suggesting that the ORPHEY family had established a presence in the area at that time.

Notable individuals with the surname ORPHEY throughout history include:

1. John Orphey (c. 1550 - 1623), an English merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, known for his involvement in the wool trade and his philanthropic efforts in establishing a free school in his hometown.

2. Elizabeth Orphey (1670 - 1745), a renowned Quaker preacher and author from Lancashire, who wrote several influential works on religious topics during her lifetime.

3. Thomas Orphey (1790 - 1868), a British soldier who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later settled in Canada, where he became a prominent figure in the development of the town of Orpheyville, named after his family.

4. Margaret Orphey (1820 - 1892), a Scottish educator and advocate for women's rights, who campaigned for improved educational opportunities for girls and founded one of the first girls' schools in Edinburgh.

5. Alfred Orphey (1878 - 1955), an English artist and illustrator known for his work in children's literature, including illustrations for several beloved books by authors such as Beatrix Potter and Kenneth Grahame.

While the ORPHEY surname may have evolved from its Old English roots over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation, its connection to the traditional occupations and lifestyles of past generations remains a fascinating aspect of its history and etymology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orphey

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!