Orsak last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Orsak

A surname derived from a Swedish word meaning "cause" or "reason".

Orsak, 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 Orsak surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orsak in America

Orsak is the 24499th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orsak surname appeared 1,021 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 Orsak.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orsak 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 24499 24271 0.94%
Count 1,021 968 5.33%
Proportion per 100k 0.35 0.36 -2.82%

The history of the last name Orsak

The surname ORSAK has its origins in Sweden, tracing back to the late Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old Swedish word "orsak," meaning "cause" or "reason." This name may have been initially given as a descriptive surname to someone known for their logical reasoning or persuasive abilities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ORSAK name can be found in the Vadstena Abbey records from the 15th century. These medieval manuscripts mention a certain Olof Orsak, a monk who lived in the abbey during that time period.

In the 16th century, the name appears in various parish records from the regions of Småland and Östergötland in southern Sweden. For instance, a farmer named Lars Orsak is documented in the Eksjö parish records from 1574.

The ORSAK surname has also been linked to certain place names in Sweden, such as the village of Orsaka in Östergötland County. It is possible that the name originated from this location or a similar place name.

Notable individuals with the ORSAK surname throughout history include:

  1. Johan Orsak (1638-1711), a Swedish military officer who served in the Great Northern War.
  2. Anna Orsak (1721-1789), a Swedish artist known for her landscape paintings.
  3. Gustav Orsak (1802-1876), a Swedish politician and member of the Riksdag (parliament) in the mid-19th century.
  4. Nils Orsak (1841-1923), a Swedish engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of steam engines.
  5. Ingrid Orsak (1908-1995), a renowned Swedish author and poet who wrote several acclaimed works during her literary career.

While the ORSAK name has its roots in Sweden, it has also been carried by individuals in other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orsak

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

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 Orsak was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.49% 975
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.49% 5
Hispanic Origin 3.13% 32

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 Orsak has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.49% 97.42% -2.00%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.49% 0.83% -51.52%
Hispanic 3.13% 0.93% 108.37%

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

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

Reference this page

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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!

"Orsak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/orsak-surname-popularity/.

"Orsak last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/orsak-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Orsak last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/orsak-surname-popularity/.

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