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

Rorie, 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 Rorie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rorie in America

Rorie is the 11685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rorie surname appeared 2,682 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Rorie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rorie 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 Rorie

The surname Rorie is of Scottish origin, originating from the Lowlands region of Scotland. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse personal name "Hroar," meaning "victorious" or "famous." The name was brought to Scotland by Norse settlers during the Viking invasions of the 8th and 9th centuries.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Rorie can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the swearing of fealty to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. One notable entry is that of Gilbertus de Rotherford, whose name likely evolved into the modern form of Rorie over time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which were records of royal taxation and financial accounts. One such entry from 1367 mentions a John Rory, who was a tenant farmer in the county of Ayrshire.

The Rorie name has also been associated with several notable historical figures. One of the earliest was Sir William Rorie, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another was James Rorie, a renowned academic and theologian who served as the Principal of the University of Glasgow in the late 16th century.

During the 17th century, the Rorie family established themselves as prominent landowners in the Scottish Borders region. One notable member was Sir Walter Rorie (1597-1676), who served as a Member of Parliament and was granted the lands of Fernieherst near Jedburgh.

In the realm of literature, the name Rorie is linked to the Scottish author and poet, William Rorie (1819-1872), who penned several works celebrating the history and culture of the Borders region.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rorie include:

1. John Rorie (1805-1885), a Scottish-born Australian pioneer and explorer who played a significant role in the early settlement of South Australia.

2. Thomas Rorie (1827-1899), a Scottish-American businessman and industrialist who established the Rorie Foundry and Machine Works in Ohio, which became a leading manufacturer of steam engines and machinery during the Industrial Revolution.

3. Margaret Rorie (1891-1979), a Scottish suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and was imprisoned multiple times for her involvement in protests and civil disobedience.

4. James Rorie (1917-2002), a Scottish-American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Braves in the 1940s.

5. Donald Rorie (1943-2018), a Scottish artist and sculptor known for his abstract and minimalist works, many of which are displayed in galleries and public spaces throughout Scotland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rorie

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!