2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oryall
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the French "l'Oraille".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Oryall. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oryall 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Oryall in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oryall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oryall
The surname Oryall finds its origins in the northern regions of England, particularly in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from an Anglo-Saxon locational name, possibly referring to a settlement or farmstead near a prominent oak tree or a region known for its abundance of oak trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Oryall can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379, where a certain John Oryall is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Kettlewell. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the area by the 14th century.
The Oryall surname has also been linked to the ancient village of Orrell, located near Wigan in Lancashire. Historical records from the 16th century indicate that the name was sometimes spelled as "Orreall" or "Orriall," reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time.
A notable figure bearing the Oryall surname was Sir Thomas Oryall, a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London in the early 17th century. He was born in 1592 and played a significant role in the city's trade and governance during the reign of King Charles I.
Another prominent individual was Robert Oryall, a renowned scholar and theologian who lived from 1625 to 1698. He served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, and was widely respected for his intellectual contributions and religious teachings.
In the 18th century, the Oryall surname gained recognition through the accomplishments of William Oryall (1715-1782), a skilled architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Foundling Hospital and the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.
The Oryall family also had a presence in the field of literature, with the poet and playwright Elizabeth Oryall (1760-1829) receiving critical acclaim for her works, which explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning John Oryall (1810-1878), a renowned industrialist and philanthropist from Manchester. He established several successful textile mills and was known for his generous contributions to various charitable causes, particularly in support of education and healthcare initiatives in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oryall
Among Census respondents with the surname Oryall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (6.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Oryall 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 Oryall surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.2% · 89
- Hispanic or Latino16.7% · 20
- Two or more races6.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oryall
Oryall appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+7 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.2%) | Up 4,152 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 Oryall 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 | #146,201 | #142,049 | 2.8% |
| Count | 113 | 120 | 6.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oryall bearers went from 113 to 120 (+6.2% change). The surname moved up 4,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #142,049.
FAQ
Oryall surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oryall?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Oryall. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Oryall?
Oryall ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Oryall. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Oryall.
Has Oryall become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oryall went from 113 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 7 (+6.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Oryall?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oryall, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (16.7%) and Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Oryall in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oryall appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.2%), Hispanic (16.7%), Two or More Races (6.7%). 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 Oryall (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 Oryall mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly related to the French "l'Oraille". 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 Oryall (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 have the last name Oryall?
See how common the surname Oryall is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.