2000
#5,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,284
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Orth
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near the end or point of a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,984 Americans carry the last name Orth. That puts it at #5,512 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,077 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orth 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
7.0K
1 in 49,077
Census rank
#5,512
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,090 bearers of the surname Orth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5512th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orth
The surname ORTH is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old High German word "ort," meaning a point or a corner, which later evolved into the modern German word "Ort," meaning a place or a location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ORTH can be found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclasiae Raitenavensis, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 11th century, which mentions an individual named Ortho. This suggests that the name was already in use in German-speaking regions during that time period.
The name ORTH is also closely associated with place names, particularly in areas where German settlers established communities. For example, the town of Orth an der Donau in Austria is believed to have been named after the geographical feature of a point or a corner along the Danube River.
One of the notable individuals bearing the surname ORTH was Johann Orth (1474-1542), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.
Another prominent figure was Christian Orth (1575-1637), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician for the Elector of Saxony. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during his lifetime and influenced subsequent generations of composers.
In the 19th century, Johann Wilhelm Orth (1803-1880) was a German architect known for his work in the neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic styles. He designed several notable buildings, including the St. Matthias Church in Berlin and the Klosterkirche in Lübeck.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in the United States was Johann Orth, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732 from the German Palatinate region. His descendants later migrated westward and established themselves in various parts of the country.
Another notable American with the surname ORTH was Samuel P. Orth (1873-1958), a politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana. He was a prominent figure in the Republican Party and played a role in shaping legislation during his tenure in Congress.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orth
Among Census respondents with the surname Orth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Orth 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 Orth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 5,666
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 177
- Two or more races2.6% · 159
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.4% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orth
Orth 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
#5,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,345
+61 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 356 places
2020
#5,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,090
-255 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,126 | 6,284 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,482 | 6,345 | 2.15 | +61 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 356 places |
| 2020 | #5,512 | 6,090 | 2.04 | -255 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 30 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 Orth 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 | #5,482 | #5,512 | -0.5% |
| Count | 6,345 | 6,090 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 2.04 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orth bearers went from 6,345 to 6,090 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,482 to #5,512.
FAQ
Orth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orth?
Name Census estimates that about 6,984 living Americans carry the surname Orth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,077 residents.
How common is Orth?
Orth ranks #5,512 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,090 people with the surname Orth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Orth.
Has Orth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orth went from 6,345 recorded bearers to 6,090. That is a decrease of 255 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,482 to #5,512.
What does the Census say about the background of Orth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Orth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (5,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Orth (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 Orth mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near the end or point of a place. 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 Orth (2.04 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 Orth?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Orth, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.