2000
#119,644
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ortes
Derived from the Greek word "ortos" meaning "straight" or "upright."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Ortes. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ortes 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Ortes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ortes
The surname ORTES has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "horto," meaning garden or orchard. This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who owned or worked in gardens or orchards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise written in the 14th century during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile. This document mentions a place called "Ortes" in the province of Soria, indicating that the surname may have been derived from a place name.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various historical records, including the Archivo de la Real Chancillería de Valladolid, which contains documentation related to legal proceedings and property transactions. One notable individual from this period was Juan de Ortes, a merchant from Seville who was involved in trade with the Americas in the late 1400s.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the ORTES surname gained prominence in different regions of Spain. In 1562, a man named Francisco de Ortes was appointed as a member of the Council of the Inquisition, a powerful institution within the Spanish empire. Another notable figure was Pedro de Ortes, a Spanish soldier who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the early 16th century.
In the 18th century, the name appeared in several literary works, such as the play "El desdén con el desdén" by Agustín Moreto, where one of the characters is named Doña Ortes. Additionally, a famous artist from this period, José Ortes y Vergara (1704-1790), gained recognition for his paintings and frescoes in various churches and palaces in Spain.
Moving into the 19th century, the ORTES surname continued to be present in various fields. One notable individual was Manuel Ortes y Fernández (1818-1895), a Spanish politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice during the reign of Queen Isabella II.
Over the centuries, the ORTES surname has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Ortés, Ortiz, and Ortés y. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained tied to its Spanish roots, reflecting the rich cultural and historical heritage of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ortes
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ortes 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 Ortes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino81.6% · 84
- White10.7% · 11
- Black or African American4.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ortes
Ortes 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-33 bearers (-24.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 40,068 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #119,644 | 134 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -33 bearers (-24.6%) | Down 40,068 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Ortes 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 | #159,712 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ortes bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Ortes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ortes?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Ortes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Ortes?
Ortes ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Ortes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ortes.
Has Ortes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ortes went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Ortes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 81.6%. The next largest groups are White (10.7%) and Black (4.9%). 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 Ortes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ortes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (81.6%), White (10.7%), Black (4.9%). 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 Ortes (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 Ortes mean?
Derived from the Greek word "ortos" meaning "straight" or "upright." 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 Ortes (0.03 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 last name Ortes?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Ortes at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.