2000
#20,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,170
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Ortuno
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ortuño, which likely referred to a location with an abundance of nettles.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,402 Americans carry the last name Ortuno. That puts it at #13,814 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,695 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ortuno 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
2.4K
1 in 142,695
Census rank
#13,814
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,095 bearers of the surname Ortuno in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13814th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ortuno
The surname Ortuno originated in Spain, with its earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Spanish word "huerto," meaning garden or orchard, suggesting that the name's bearers may have been farmers or landowners associated with cultivated lands.
One of the earliest known references to the name Ortuno can be found in the medieval Spanish epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which dates back to the late 12th or early 13th century. In this literary work, there is a character named Ortuno who is mentioned as a servant or vassal of the legendary Spanish hero El Cid Campeador.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ortuno appeared in various historical documents and records, such as land deeds, tax rolls, and court proceedings. For instance, a certain Fernando Ortuno was mentioned in a land grant document from the Kingdom of Aragon in the year 1267.
In the 14th century, there are records of a nobleman named Rodrigo Ortuno who served as a knight in the court of King Alfonso XI of Castile. He was known for his participation in the Battle of Río Salado against the Moorish forces in 1340.
Another notable bearer of the Ortuno surname was Juan Ortuno, a 15th-century Spanish explorer and navigator. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the Americas in 1493 and is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (present-day Haiti and Dominican Republic).
During the Renaissance period, the Ortuno family produced several prominent figures in the arts and literature. One such individual was Pedro Ortuno de Velasco (1510-1584), a renowned Spanish poet and playwright who authored several works in the traditional forms of the time, including sonnets and comedies.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Ortuno family settled in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, particularly in Mexico and Peru. One notable descendant was Ignacio Ortuno y Córdoba (1632-1698), a Spanish Catholic priest who served as the Bishop of Michoacán in Mexico and is remembered for his efforts in promoting education and social welfare among the indigenous populations.
Throughout the centuries, the Ortuno surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Ortunio, Ortunyo, and Hortuno, reflecting regional linguistic differences and historical changes in orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ortuno
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ortuno 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 Ortuno surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 1,993
- White4.1% · 86
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
- Two or more races0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ortuno
Ortuno 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
#14,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,058
+888 bearers (+75.9%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 6,450 places
2020
#13,814
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,095
+37 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 681 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,945 | 1,170 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,495 | 2,058 | 0.70 | +888 bearers (+75.9%) | Up 6,450 places |
| 2020 | #13,814 | 2,095 | 0.70 | +37 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 681 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 Ortuno 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 | #14,495 | #13,814 | 4.7% |
| Count | 2,058 | 2,095 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.70 | 0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ortuno bearers went from 2,058 to 2,095 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 681 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,495 to #13,814.
FAQ
Ortuno surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ortuno?
Name Census estimates that about 2,402 living Americans carry the surname Ortuno. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,695 residents.
How common is Ortuno?
Ortuno ranks #13,814 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,095 people with the surname Ortuno. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,402), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Ortuno.
Has Ortuno become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ortuno went from 2,058 recorded bearers to 2,095. That is an increase of 37 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,495 to #13,814.
What does the Census say about the background of Ortuno?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ortuno, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.1%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Ortuno in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (1,993 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ortuno appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (4.1%), Black (0.4%). 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 Ortuno (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 Ortuno mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the place name Ortuño, which likely referred to a location with an abundance of nettles. 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 Ortuno (0.70 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 Ortuno?
See how many people have the last name Ortuno on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.