2000
#42,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 486
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Orrantia
A Basque surname meaning "among the oaks" or "oak grove".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 784 Americans carry the last name Orrantia. That puts it at #35,441 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 437,187 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orrantia 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
784
1 in 437,187
Census rank
#35,441
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
684
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 684 bearers of the surname Orrantia in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35441st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orrantia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orrantia
The surname ORRANTIA has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and south-western France. It is believed to have originated as a place name, derived from the Basque words "orr" (meaning "leaf" or "foliage") and "antia" (meaning "valley" or "ravine"). This suggests that the name likely referred to a leafy or verdant valley, perhaps where the first bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ORRANTIA surname can be found in the "Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla," a medieval cartulary (manuscript collection of charters and other documents) from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. This document, dating back to the 11th century, mentions an individual named "Didaco de Orrantia" in the year 1089.
In the 14th century, there are records of a noble family bearing the ORRANTIA name in the town of Aizarna, in the province of Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. This family is believed to have been influential in the area during that time period.
One notable figure from history who bore the ORRANTIA surname was Juan de Orrantia (c. 1450 - c. 1520), a Basque navigator and explorer who participated in the Spanish colonization of the Caribbean and Central America in the early 16th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the Gulf of Mexico and the coast of present-day Mexico.
Another prominent individual with the ORRANTIA surname was Pedro de Orrantia (1523 - 1591), a Basque architect and stonemason who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in Spain, including the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In the 17th century, there is mention of a Basque merchant named Martín de Orrantia (c. 1620 - c. 1680), who was involved in the transatlantic trade between Spain and the Americas. His business dealings and travels likely contributed to the spread of the ORRANTIA surname across the Spanish colonies in the New World.
A more recent figure of note with the ORRANTIA surname was Juan Orrantia (1887 - 1966), a Basque writer and journalist who was known for his works on Basque culture and language. He was a prolific author and played a significant role in the promotion and preservation of Basque literature in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orrantia
Among Census respondents with the surname Orrantia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Orrantia 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 Orrantia surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.4% · 632
- White6.3% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
- Two or more races0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orrantia
Orrantia 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
#34,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 655
+169 bearers (+34.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 7,517 places
2020
#35,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 684
+29 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 902 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #42,056 | 486 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #34,539 | 655 | 0.22 | +169 bearers (+34.8%) | Up 7,517 places |
| 2020 | #35,441 | 684 | 0.23 | +29 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 902 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 Orrantia 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 | #34,539 | #35,441 | -2.6% |
| Count | 655 | 684 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.23 | 4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orrantia bearers went from 655 to 684 (+4.4% change). The surname moved down 902 positions in the national ranking, going from #34,539 to #35,441.
FAQ
Orrantia surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orrantia?
Name Census estimates that about 784 living Americans carry the surname Orrantia. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 437,187 residents.
How common is Orrantia?
Orrantia ranks #35,441 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 684 people with the surname Orrantia. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Orrantia.
Has Orrantia become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orrantia went from 655 recorded bearers to 684. That is an increase of 29 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #34,539 to #35,441.
What does the Census say about the background of Orrantia?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orrantia, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.4%. The next largest groups are White (6.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Orrantia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (632 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orrantia appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.4%), White (6.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.7%). 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 Orrantia (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 Orrantia mean?
A Basque surname meaning "among the oaks" or "oak grove". 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 Orrantia (0.23 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 have the surname Orrantia?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.