2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ourso
A French surname derived from the Latin "ursus" meaning bear, possibly referring to someone with bear-like attributes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 599 Americans carry the last name Ourso. That puts it at #44,341 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 572,211 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ourso 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
599
1 in 572,211
Census rank
#44,341
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
522
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 522 bearers of the surname Ourso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 44341st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ourso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ourso
The surname Ourso is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "ursus," meaning "bear." It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th century, in regions of northern Italy.
Records suggest that the name was initially found in the city of Genoa and its surrounding areas, where it may have been used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a bear-like appearance or personality traits associated with the animal, such as strength or fierceness.
One of the earliest documented references to the Ourso name can be found in the Codice Diplomatico della Repubblica di Genova, a collection of historical documents from the Republic of Genoa, dating back to the 13th century. However, variations in spelling, such as "Orso" and "Urso," were common during this period.
In the 14th century, the Ourso surname began to appear in other parts of Italy, including Tuscany and Piedmont. Notable individuals bearing this name included Niccolò Ourso, a Florentine merchant and diplomat who lived from 1325 to 1402, and Giacomo Ourso, a renowned painter from Genoa who was active in the late 15th century.
As the name spread throughout Italy, it also took on various local spellings and forms, such as "Orso" in the Veneto region and "Ursi" in parts of southern Italy. One prominent figure from this era was Giovanni Battista Ourso, a Neapolitan scholar and humanist who lived from 1490 to 1560.
In the 16th century, the Ourso name made its way to other parts of Europe, including France and Spain, likely through trade and migration. One notable figure was Pedro Ourso, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the early 1500s.
By the 17th century, the Ourso surname had established itself in various European countries, with families bearing the name found in regions such as Catalonia, Corsica, and parts of southern France. One notable individual from this era was Antonio Ourso, an Italian painter and engraver who lived from 1635 to 1698 and was known for his religious works.
In the following centuries, the Ourso name continued to spread and evolve, with various branches and lineages emerging across Europe and eventually reaching other parts of the world through emigration and exploration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ourso
Among Census respondents with the surname Ourso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ourso 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 Ourso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 435
- Hispanic or Latino15.5% · 81
- Two or more races0.8% · 4
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ourso
Ourso 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
#103,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+21 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 4,384 places
2020
#44,341
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 522
+348 bearers (+200.0%)
Per 100,000 0.17
Rank movement Up 58,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #103,181 | 174 | 0.06 | +21 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #44,341 | 522 | 0.17 | +348 bearers (+200.0%) | Up 58,840 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 Ourso 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 | #103,181 | #44,341 | 57.0% |
| Count | 174 | 522 | 200.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.17 | 191.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ourso bearers went from 174 to 522 (+200.0% change). The surname moved up 58,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #103,181 to #44,341.
FAQ
Ourso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ourso?
Name Census estimates that about 599 living Americans carry the surname Ourso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 572,211 residents.
How common is Ourso?
Ourso ranks #44,341 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.17 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 522 people with the surname Ourso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (599), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.17 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 Ourso.
Has Ourso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ourso went from 174 recorded bearers to 522. That is an increase of 348 (+200.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #103,181 to #44,341.
What does the Census say about the background of Ourso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ourso, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ourso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (435 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ourso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (15.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Ourso (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 Ourso mean?
A French surname derived from the Latin "ursus" meaning bear, possibly referring to someone with bear-like attributes. 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 Ourso (0.17 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 Ourso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.