Explore the Family Name Ore

The meaning of Ore

English (Staffordshire): 1. habitational name from Woore (Shropshire). The placename derives from Old English wæfre ‘unstable, wavering’ or wæfer ‘that which wanders or wavers’; the local topographic significance of this term is unclear. 2. variant of Oare.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Ore in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Ore has seen minor fluctuations over the years. In the year 2000, Ore ranked 15,177 in popularity, with a count of 1,783 and a proportion per 100k of 0.66. A decade later, in 2010, its rank slightly dropped to 15,673, marking a decrease of 3.27%. However, the count increased to 1,862, accounting for a growth rate of 4.43%. The proportion per 100k also saw a marginal decline from 0.66 to 0.63, indicating a drop of 4.55%.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#15,177	#15,673	-3.27%
Count	1,783	1,862	4.43%
Proportion per 100k	0.66	0.63	-4.55%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Ore

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Ore witnessed some shifts between 2000 and 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census data. The percentage of individuals identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 30.89%, from 1.23% to 1.61%. However, those identifying with two or more races dropped to zero. The majority ethnicity, White, experienced a decrease of about 9.47%, going down from 62.59% to 56.66%. There was a significant increase in the percentage of people identifying as Hispanic, which rose from 18.06% to 25.30%, marking a 40.09% change. The Black ethnicity noticed a slight reduction from 16.60% to 15.20%. The American Indian and Alaskan Native category dropped to zero.

	2000	2010	Change
White	62.59%	56.66%	-9.47%
Hispanic	18.06%	25.3%	40.09%
Black	16.6%	15.2%	-8.43%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.23%	1.61%	30.89%
Two or More Races	1.23%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.28%	0%	0%