2000
#15,146
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Ortegon
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of several places named Ortegón, derived from ortega meaning "nettle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,502 Americans carry the last name Ortegon. That puts it at #13,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,992 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ortegon 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
2.5K
1 in 136,992
Census rank
#13,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,182 bearers of the surname Ortegon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortegon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ortegon
The surname Ortegon has its origins in Spain, likely emerging during the Middle Ages or earlier. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "ortega," which means a small garden or orchid. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname given to those who worked in or cared for gardens or orchards.
Ortegon is a variant spelling of the more common Spanish surname Ortega. The addition of the suffix "-on" is a common practice in Spanish naming conventions, often used to indicate a larger or more substantial version of something. In this case, Ortegon may have been used to distinguish a particular family or lineage from others with the surname Ortega.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ortegon can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a 14th-century manuscript detailing the hunting traditions of King Alfonso XI of Castile. The document mentions an individual named Pedro Ortegon, who was likely a member of the king's hunting party.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Ortegon was Juan Ortegon, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés. He was born in Extremadura, Spain, around 1490 and died in Mexico in the mid-1500s.
Another historical figure with the surname Ortegon was Diego Ortegon, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Juan Ponce de León on his expedition to Florida in the early 1500s. He was born in Seville, Spain, in the late 15th century and died in Florida during the expedition in 1521.
In the 17th century, a prominent individual with the surname Ortegon was Pedro Ortegon de Villacreces, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who served as the governor of Galicia in the 1660s. He was born in Burgos, Spain, in the early 1600s and died in Madrid in 1671.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the Ortegon surname was María Ortegon, a Spanish painter and artist known for her religious works and portraiture. She was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1720 and died in the same city in 1790.
In the 19th century, a prominent individual with the surname Ortegon was Ramón Ortegon, a Spanish writer and poet who was part of the Romantic literary movement in Spain. He was born in Málaga, Spain, in 1815 and died in Madrid in 1892.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ortegon
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortegon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ortegon 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 Ortegon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino88.7% · 1,935
- White9.2% · 201
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Two or more races0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ortegon
Ortegon 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
#13,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,166
+380 bearers (+21.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 1,208 places
2020
#13,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,182
+16 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 581 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,146 | 1,786 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,938 | 2,166 | 0.73 | +380 bearers (+21.3%) | Up 1,208 places |
| 2020 | #13,357 | 2,182 | 0.73 | +16 bearers (+0.7%) | Up 581 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 Ortegon 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 | #13,938 | #13,357 | 4.2% |
| Count | 2,166 | 2,182 | 0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.73 | 0.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ortegon bearers went from 2,166 to 2,182 (+0.7% change). The surname moved up 581 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,938 to #13,357.
FAQ
Ortegon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ortegon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,502 living Americans carry the surname Ortegon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,992 residents.
How common is Ortegon?
Ortegon ranks #13,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,182 people with the surname Ortegon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,502), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Ortegon.
Has Ortegon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ortegon went from 2,166 recorded bearers to 2,182. That is an increase of 16 (+0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,938 to #13,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Ortegon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortegon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 88.7%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Ortegon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (1,935 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ortegon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (88.7%), White (9.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.6%). 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 Ortegon (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 Ortegon mean?
A Spanish toponymic surname indicating someone from any of several places named Ortegón, derived from ortega meaning "nettle." 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 Ortegon (0.73 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 Ortegon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.