2000
#10,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,953
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Orsini
A surname of Italian origin referring to a person from the town of Orso or a bear keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,382 Americans carry the last name Orsini. That puts it at #10,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orsini 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Orsini with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 101,347
Census rank
#10,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,949 bearers of the surname Orsini in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orsini, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orsini
The surname Orsini has its origins in Italy, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin word "ursinus," meaning "bear-like" or "bearish," suggesting a possible connection to the bear symbol or emblem used by the family.
The Orsini family was one of the most powerful and influential noble families in Rome and the Papal States during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. They held significant political and ecclesiastical positions, including several popes and cardinals.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Orsini name can be found in the 11th century, when the family established itself as a prominent force in the Roman aristocracy. The Orsini were involved in numerous conflicts and power struggles, often aligning themselves with the Ghibelline faction against the Guelphs.
The name Orsini is associated with several notable figures throughout history. One of the most famous was Niccolò III Orsini, who became Pope Nicholas III in 1277. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Papal States and the consolidation of the Church's temporal power.
Another prominent member of the Orsini family was Giordano Orsini (1192-1287), a Roman nobleman and military leader who served as a senator of Rome and supported the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in his struggles against the Papacy.
In the 15th century, Clarice Orsini (1453-1488) gained prominence as the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici, the influential ruler of Florence. Their marriage strengthened the alliance between the Orsini and Medici families, two of the most powerful dynasties in Renaissance Italy.
Paolo Giordano II Orsini (1591-1670) was a prominent figure in the Catholic Church, serving as the Duke of Bracciano and later becoming a cardinal. He was known for his patronage of the arts and his involvement in various diplomatic missions.
Felice Orsini (1819-1858) was a prominent Italian revolutionary and nationalist who attempted to assassinate Napoleon III in 1858. Despite his radical views, he is remembered as a significant figure in the Italian unification movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orsini
Among Census respondents with the surname Orsini, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Orsini 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 Orsini surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.1% · 2,274
- Hispanic or Latino19.5% · 574
- Two or more races2.0% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orsini
Orsini 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
#10,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
+102 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 439 places
2020
#10,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,949
-106 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 114 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,066 | 2,953 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,505 | 3,055 | 1.04 | +102 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 439 places |
| 2020 | #10,391 | 2,949 | 0.99 | -106 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 114 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 Orsini 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 | #10,505 | #10,391 | 1.1% |
| Count | 3,055 | 2,949 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.99 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orsini bearers went from 3,055 to 2,949 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 114 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,505 to #10,391.
FAQ
Orsini surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orsini?
Name Census estimates that about 3,382 living Americans carry the surname Orsini. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,347 residents.
How common is Orsini?
Orsini ranks #10,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,949 people with the surname Orsini. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,382), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Orsini.
Has Orsini become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orsini went from 3,055 recorded bearers to 2,949. That is a decrease of 106 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,505 to #10,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Orsini?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orsini, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.5%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Orsini in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.1% (2,274 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orsini appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.1%), Hispanic (19.5%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Orsini (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 Orsini mean?
A surname of Italian origin referring to a person from the town of Orso or a bear keeper. 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 Orsini (0.99 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 Americans have the surname Orsini?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.