2000
#296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 93,131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 34.52
Common Last name
Ortega
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near a field of nettles or an ortiga patch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143,149 Americans carry the last name Ortega. That puts it at #243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 41.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ortega 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 Ortega with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
143K
1 in 2,394
Census rank
#243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
41.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 124,833 bearers of the surname Ortega in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 41.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ortega
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ortega 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 Ortega surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.0% · 114,883
- White5.4% · 6,690
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 1,680
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 565
- Black or African American0.4% · 523
- Two or more races0.4% · 492
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ortega
Ortega 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
#239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,256
+34,125 bearers (+36.6%)
Per 100,000 43.14
Rank movement Up 57 places
2020
#243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124,833
-2,423 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 41.76
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #296 | 93,131 | 34.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #239 | 127,256 | 43.14 | +34,125 bearers (+36.6%) | Up 57 places |
| 2020 | #243 | 124,833 | 41.76 | -2,423 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 4 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 Ortega 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 | #239 | #243 | -1.7% |
| Count | 127,256 | 124,833 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 43.14 | 41.76 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ortega bearers went from 127,256 to 124,833 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #239 to #243.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Ortega
FAQ
Ortega surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ortega?
Name Census estimates that about 143,149 living Americans carry the surname Ortega. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,394 residents.
How common is Ortega?
Ortega ranks #243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 41.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 42 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 124,833 people with the surname Ortega. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 41.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 41.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 42 of them to have the surname Ortega.
Has Ortega become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ortega went from 127,256 recorded bearers to 124,833. That is a decrease of 2,423 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #239 to #243.
What does the Census say about the background of Ortega?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortega, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.0%. The next largest groups are White (5.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Ortega in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (114,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ortega appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.0%), White (5.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Ortega (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 Ortega mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating a person who lived near a field of nettles or an ortiga patch. 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 Ortega (41.76 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 Ortega?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.