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

Orrell, 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 Orrell surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orrell in America

Orrell is the 16228th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orrell surname appeared 1,779 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Orrell.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orrell 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 Orrell

The surname Orrell is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the 13th century in Lancashire, England. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English words "ora" meaning a border or boundary, and "hyll" meaning a hill, suggesting that it may have referred to someone who lived near a boundary hill.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire from 1246, which mention a Richard de Orrell. This indicates that the name was already established in the region at that time.

The name Orrell is also closely associated with the town of Orrell, located near Wigan in Lancashire. It is likely that the surname originated from this place name, which itself is derived from the Old English words mentioned earlier.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners and holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror, there is a reference to a place called "Orell" or "Orrelle," which is believed to be the modern-day Orrell.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Orrell. One such person was John Orrell (c. 1511-1561), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Lancashire who served as the Mayor of Preston in 1548.

Another prominent figure was Robert Orrell (1679-1752), an English clergyman and author who wrote several works on theology and religious topics.

In the realm of literature, John Orrell (1923-2003) was a British novelist and poet known for his works exploring the themes of identity and belonging.

A more recent individual with the surname Orrell is Andrew Orrell (born 1952), a British businessman and former chairman of the Manchester United Supporters' Trust.

Furthermore, the name Orrell has also been associated with other variations and spellings, such as Orrell, Orrill, and Orrall, reflecting the natural evolution of language and regional dialects over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orrell

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

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

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

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