2000
#5,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,808
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.15
Rare Last name
Orta
Derived from a place name referring to someone who came from Orta, Italy or Orta, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,586 Americans carry the last name Orta. That puts it at #4,592 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,920 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orta 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
8.6K
1 in 39,920
Census rank
#4,592
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,487 bearers of the surname Orta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4592nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orta
The surname Orta is of Spanish origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "huerta," which means "garden" or "orchard." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked in gardens or orchards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Orta surname can be found in the region of La Rioja, Spain, during the 13th century. Historical documents from that time mention individuals bearing the name, indicating its establishment as a family name.
Interestingly, the Orta surname also has connections to the city of Orta, located in the Italian region of Piedmont. It is possible that some individuals with this surname may have originated from this area or had ancestors who migrated from Italy to Spain.
In the 15th century, the Orta surname gained prominence when Garci Fernández de Orta, a Spanish explorer and botanist, embarked on expeditions to the East Indies. He is renowned for his contributions to the study of Asian plants and their medicinal properties, as documented in his seminal work, "Colóquios dos Simples e Drogas da Índia" (1563).
Another notable figure with the Orta surname was Pedro de Orta, a 16th-century Spanish physician and naturalist. He lived in Goa, India, and wrote extensively about the flora and fauna of the region, contributing significantly to the field of natural history.
In the realm of literature, Miguel de Orta y Rubio (1828-1895) was a renowned Spanish poet and playwright. His works, which included plays and lyrical compositions, garnered critical acclaim and helped establish him as a prominent figure in the Spanish literary scene of the 19th century.
José de Orta y Escobar (1635-1712) was a Spanish painter and engraver who gained recognition for his religious artworks and engravings. His works can be found in various churches and museums across Spain, showcasing his artistic talent and religious devotion.
Lastly, the Orta surname has also been associated with the Mexican revolutionary leader Emiliano Zapata (1879-1919). His full name was Emiliano Zapata Salazar Orta, reflecting his maternal lineage and the influence of the Orta surname in his family tree.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orta
Among Census respondents with the surname Orta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Orta 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 Orta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.8% · 6,801
- White7.6% · 572
- Black or African American0.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 35
- Two or more races0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orta
Orta 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
#4,535
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,820
+2,012 bearers (+34.6%)
Per 100,000 2.65
Rank movement Up 967 places
2020
#4,592
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,487
-333 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.50
Rank movement Down 57 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,502 | 5,808 | 2.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,535 | 7,820 | 2.65 | +2,012 bearers (+34.6%) | Up 967 places |
| 2020 | #4,592 | 7,487 | 2.50 | -333 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 57 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 Orta 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 | #4,535 | #4,592 | -1.3% |
| Count | 7,820 | 7,487 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.65 | 2.50 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orta bearers went from 7,820 to 7,487 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 57 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,535 to #4,592.
FAQ
Orta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orta?
Name Census estimates that about 8,586 living Americans carry the surname Orta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,920 residents.
How common is Orta?
Orta ranks #4,592 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,487 people with the surname Orta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,586), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Orta.
Has Orta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orta went from 7,820 recorded bearers to 7,487. That is a decrease of 333 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,535 to #4,592.
What does the Census say about the background of Orta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orta, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.8%. The next largest groups are White (7.6%) and Black (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 Orta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (6,801 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.8%), White (7.6%), Black (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 Orta (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 Orta mean?
Derived from a place name referring to someone who came from Orta, Italy or Orta, Spain. 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 Orta (2.50 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 Orta?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.