Find out how popular the last name Orton is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Orton.

Orton, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Orton surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Orton in America

Orton is the 5201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Orton surname appeared 6,720 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Orton.

We can also compare 2010 data for Orton to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Orton

The surname Orton is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "orton," which means a village or a farm near a gravelly shore or riverbank. The name first emerged in the regions of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, and Lincolnshire, where many places bear the name Orton.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions an Ordric de Orton, a landowner in Lincolnshire. Another early reference is from the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire in 1195, where a Richard de Orton is listed.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Orton, Oreton, and Ortion, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John Orton, a member of the Parliament of England in 1295, representing the county of Northamptonshire.

The surname Orton is also associated with several place names, such as Orton Waterville and Orton Longueville in Huntingdonshire, as well as Orton-on-the-Hill and Orton Scar in Cumbria. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname.

Among the notable individuals with the surname Orton throughout history are:

1. Job Orton (1717-1783), an English Dissenting minister and writer, known for his works on theology and ecclesiastical history.
2. Reginald Orton (1899-1980), a British comic actor and playwright, best known for his collaboration with his partner, Gertie Gitana, in music hall performances.
3. Arthur Orton (1834-1898), also known as the Tichborne Claimant, who infamously impersonated Sir Roger Tichborne, a wealthy baronet, in a famous 19th-century English court case.
4. Joe Orton (1933-1967), an English playwright and author, renowned for his dark comedies and shocking black humor plays, such as "Loot" and "What the Butler Saw."
5. Randy Orton (born 1980), an American professional wrestler, currently signed with WWE and a multi-time world champion in the company.

While the surname Orton has its roots in the English countryside, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields, including literature, theater, and sports.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Orton

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Orton.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Orton was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Orton has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Orton was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Orton, please contact us.

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