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

Ortega, 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 Ortega surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ortega in America

Ortega is the 239th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ortega surname appeared 127,256 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 43 people would have the surname Ortega.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ortega 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 Ortega

The surname ORTEGA has Spanish origins, with its roots traced back to the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "huerta," meaning "orchard" or "vegetable garden," indicating that the name's earliest bearers may have been associated with horticulture or agricultural activities.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the ORTEGA name can be found in the Repartimiento de Sevilla, a 13th-century document detailing the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christians in 1248. This document mentions several individuals with the surname ORTEGA, suggesting that the name was already well-established in Spain by that time.

The ORTEGA surname has been linked to various place names throughout Spain, such as Ortigosa de Cameros in La Rioja and Ortigueira in Galicia. These place names likely originated from the Latin word "urtica," meaning "nettle," indicating that the areas were once known for the abundance of this plant.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the ORTEGA surname. One of the earliest was Juan de Ortega (c. 1080-1163), a Spanish Benedictine monk and the founder of the Monastery of San Juan de Ortega in Burgos. Another prominent figure was Gaspar de Ortega y Salinas (1640-1710), a Spanish jurist and author who served as a judge in the Royal Audiencia of Lima, Peru.

In the 19th century, José Ortega Munilla (1856-1922), a Spanish novelist and playwright, gained recognition for his literary works. José Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955), a renowned Spanish philosopher and essayist, is perhaps one of the most famous individuals with the ORTEGA surname. His contributions to the fields of metaphysics, epistemology, and existentialism have had a lasting impact on Western philosophy.

Another notable figure was Margarita Ortega (1768-1828), a Cuban revolutionary who played a significant role in the struggles for Cuban independence from Spanish colonial rule. She is celebrated as a national heroine in Cuba for her advocacy of human rights and her efforts to abolish slavery.

Throughout its history, the ORTEGA surname has been associated with various notable individuals from diverse fields, including religion, law, literature, philosophy, and political activism. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, where it was likely derived from words related to horticulture and agriculture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ortega

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

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

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

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