2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Orthwein
A German surname referring to someone from a place name incorporating the word "Ort" meaning "town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Orthwein. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Orthwein 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Orthwein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Orthwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Orthwein
The surname ORTHWEIN has its origins in Germany, likely emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "ort" meaning "edge" or "border," and "wein" meaning "wine," suggesting a possible connection to vineyards or wine-making regions near borders or edges of towns or villages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ORTHWEIN can be found in a 1492 record from the town of Nuremberg, which mentions a merchant named Hans ORTHWEIN. Another early reference is the 1537 baptismal record of Anna ORTHWEIN in the city of Augsburg.
In the 16th century, the ORTHWEIN name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating families with this surname residing in cities like Frankfurt, Mainz, and Cologne. Some notable individuals from this period include the merchant and landowner Johann ORTHWEIN (1548-1621) from Heidelberg, and the theologian and scholar Peter ORTHWEIN (1579-1647) from Leipzig.
The 17th century saw the ORTHWEIN surname gain prominence in the wine-producing regions along the Rhine River, particularly in the towns of Worms and Speyer. A notable figure from this era was the vintner and landowner Jakob ORTHWEIN (1632-1702), who owned several vineyards in the Rheinhessen region.
As the ORTHWEIN family continued to prosper in the wine trade, they established themselves in other areas of Germany, with branches emerging in cities like Berlin, Dresden, and Munich. One notable individual from this time was the playwright and poet Johann Friedrich ORTHWEIN (1725-1795), born in Erfurt, whose works were widely acclaimed in literary circles of the 18th century.
The 19th century witnessed the ORTHWEIN name spreading beyond Germany, with some families emigrating to other parts of Europe and even to the United States. One prominent figure from this period was the German-American businessman and philanthropist William R. ORTHWEIN (1822-1898), who founded a successful brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Orthwein
Among Census respondents with the surname Orthwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Orthwein 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 Orthwein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Orthwein
Orthwein 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-9 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,029 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 18,029 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Orthwein 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 | #149,395 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Orthwein bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Orthwein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Orthwein?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Orthwein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Orthwein?
Orthwein ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 110 people with the surname Orthwein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Orthwein.
Has Orthwein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Orthwein went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Orthwein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Orthwein, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Orthwein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Orthwein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (4.5%), Black (2.7%). 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 Orthwein (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 Orthwein mean?
A German surname referring to someone from a place name incorporating the word "Ort" meaning "town". 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 Orthwein (0.04 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 share the surname Orthwein?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.