Explore the Family Name Orange
The meaning of Orange
1. French: habitational name from one of the many places called Orange in France, perhaps most prominently Orange in Vaucluse, from which the noble House of Orange took its name. It is also found in England, as a surname of Huguenot origin. 2. English: usually a variant of Orridge, either from the Middle English personal name Ordrich, Orrich (Old English Ordrīc, from ord ‘point, spear’ + rīc ‘power, realm’), with post-medieval voicing of the final consonant to give Orridge, or from a de-aspirated form of Horridge and Horwich (both habitational names from any of the places called Horwich in Lancashire and Derbyshire) with the addition of an intrusive -n-. 3. English: from the Middle English (Old French) female personal name Orenge, probably a variant of Orege (from Latin Oregia) with Anglo-Norman French intrusive -n- before -g-, as in English passenger for Old French passager. History: Louys Orange, a grandson of Jean L’Orange, from Saint-Germain-en-Laye in Yvelines, France, married Marie…in France c.1700, died in Henrico, VA, in 1734. His name is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Orange in the United States?
According to data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Orange" saw a slight decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010, moving from rank 7612 to 7629, indicating that it became marginally less common. Despite this slight drop in ranking, the actual count of people with this surname increased by 8.02%, from 4027 to 4350. This indicates that while the surname may have become less prevalent when compared to other surnames, more individuals identified as "Orange" in 2010 than in 2000, demonstrating an increase in overall usage.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7,612 | #7,629 | -0.22% |
| Count | 4,027 | 4,350 | 8.02% |
| Proportion per 100k | 1.49 | 1.47 | -1.34% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Orange
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals significant changes for individuals with the surname "Orange." The largest change was observed within the Hispanic demographic, where the proportion increased by 102.27%, from 1.32% in 2000 to 2.67% in 2010. A substantial increase was also seen among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, with a rise of 63.46%. Individuals of two or more races rose by 44.39%, while a slight increase was noted among those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native. Conversely, there was a small decrease in the proportion of people with this surname who identified as Black or White.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 50.93% | 48.83% | -4.12% |
| Black | 43.98% | 43.52% | -1.05% |
| Two or More Races | 1.96% | 2.83% | 44.39% |
| Hispanic | 1.32% | 2.67% | 102.27% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.29% | 1.31% | 1.55% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.52% | 0.85% | 63.46% |
Orange ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Orange is British & Irish, which comprises 47.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (19.1%) and Nigerian (7.7%). Additional ancestries include Ghanaian, Liberian & Sierra Leonean, Eastern European, Italian, Angolan & Congolese, and Spanish & Portuguese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 47.4% |
| French & German | 19.1% |
| Nigerian | 7.7% |
| Other | 25.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Orange
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Orange have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 68.50% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 67.10% |
What Orange haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Orange is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Orange surname are: H1, H, L3. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham
One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Orange have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Orange" Surname 52.2%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Orange" Surname 25.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Vitamin Use
Takes vitamins on a regular basis.
"Orange" Surname 28.6%
23andMe Users 45.5%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Orange" Surname 17.3%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Orange?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Orange are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition