Ory last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Ory

An uncommon Anglo-Norman French surname possibly derived from a place name.

Ory, 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 Ory surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ory in America

Ory is the 24934th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ory surname appeared 997 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ory.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ory 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 24934 33830 -30.28%
Count 997 635 44.36%
Proportion per 100k 0.34 0.24 34.48%

The history of the last name Ory

The surname Ory originates from the Normandy region of northern France, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "oré," meaning "golden" or "gilded," suggesting that the name may have originally been given to someone with golden-colored hair or a bright, sun-tanned complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Richard Ory, who held estates in Wiltshire, England. This suggests that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

In the 12th century, the name Ory was found in various records in the Eure region of Normandy, where several villages and hamlets bore similar names, such as Ory-la-Ville and Ory-la-Fontaine. These place names likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.

One notable individual with the surname Ory was Mathieu Ory (c. 1492-1557), a French Catholic priest and theologian who served as the confessor to King Francis I of France. Ory was a prominent figure during the French Renaissance and played a role in the religious debates of the time.

In the 17th century, the Ory family established themselves in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France. Jean Ory (1623-1697), a wealthy merchant and vineyard owner, was a respected member of the local community and contributed to the development of the city's wine trade.

Another notable figure was Marie-Victoire Ory (1770-1842), a French painter and engraver who specialized in portraiture and historical scenes. Her works were exhibited at the Paris Salon and are now part of several museum collections in France.

During the 19th century, the Ory name spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. Auguste Ory (1832-1901), a Belgian engineer and inventor, is credited with developing an early form of the typewriter and contributing to the advancement of printing technology.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Ory surname was Joseph Ory (1817-1892), a French immigrant who settled in Louisiana and became a successful cotton planter and businessman in the mid-19th century.

While the Ory surname has its roots in Normandy, France, it has since spread across Europe and the world, with notable individuals bearing the name making contributions in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ory

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

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 Ory was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.08% 928
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.61% 26
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.00% 10
Hispanic Origin 2.71% 27

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 Ory has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.08% 93.23% -0.16%
Black 2.61% 2.68% -2.65%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 1.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 2.71% 2.83% -4.33%

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 Ory was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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"Ory last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/ory-surname-popularity/.

"Ory last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/ory-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Ory last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/ory-surname-popularity/.

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