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

Orrego, 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 Orrego surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orrego in America

Orrego is the 27678th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orrego surname appeared 869 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 Orrego.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orrego 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 Orrego

The surname Orrego originated in Spain, with its roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "orrego," which means a small stream or a shallow irrigation channel. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked with such water channels.

The earliest recorded instances of the Orrego surname can be traced back to the 15th century in various Spanish records and manuscripts. One notable example is found in the archives of the city of Valladolid, where a certain Pedro Orrego was mentioned in a document from the year 1487.

During the Age of Exploration and the Spanish colonization of the Americas, some individuals bearing the Orrego surname made their way to the New World. For instance, Juan de Orrego, a Spanish conquistador, played a role in the conquest of Peru in the 16th century, serving under Francisco Pizarro.

Another prominent figure with the Orrego surname was Diego de Orrego y Lara, a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Chile from 1629 to 1630. His tenure was marked by conflicts with the indigenous Mapuche people.

In the realm of literature, the Chilean poet and diplomat Adolfo Orrego Vicuña (1847-1907) was a notable figure who contributed to the development of Spanish-American modernist poetry. His works, such as "Horas de Amor" and "Romances Populares," explored themes of love, nature, and national identity.

Moving forward in time, José Antonio Orrego Carvallo (1886-1976) was a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as the President of the Senate of Chile from 1957 to 1958. He played a crucial role in the country's political landscape during the mid-20th century.

It is worth noting that the Orrego surname has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Spain and Latin America. For example, there is a town called Orrego in the Spanish province of Ávila, as well as a municipality named Orrego in the Chilean region of Valparaíso.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orrego

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

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

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

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