Explore the Family Name Orris

The meaning of Orris

1. English (East Anglia): probably in most instances a variant of Orridge (see Orange 2 and 3), with sibilation of the final palatal consonant to /ʃ/ and /s/ to give (H)orrish and (H)orris. It was sometimes associated with the personal name Horace in modern times by folk etymology. 2. English (Essex): occasionally perhaps from the Middle English personal name Orace (from Latin Horatius, possibly of Etruscan origin) but it was exceptionally rare in medieval England and is unlikely to be the main source of the surname.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Orris showed a slight dip between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the name dropped by around 5.59% from 14,550 in 2000 to 15,363 in 2010. However, the actual count of people with the name Orris saw a minor increase of 1.65%, growing from 1,878 to 1,909. The proportion of individuals carrying this surname per 100,000 people also decreased by 7.14% over the decade.

20002010Change
Rank#14,550#15,363-5.59%
Count1,8781,9091.65%
Proportion per 100k0.70.65-7.14%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Orris

Reflecting on the ethnicity associated with the surname Orris, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals some changes between 2000 and 2010. A significant rise of 42.37% was observed within the Asian/Pacific Islander group, while those identifying with two or more races increased by 8.91%. Interestingly, the White population using this surname rose modestly by 1.45%. On the other hand, the proportion of Hispanic individuals with the Orris surname fell by 10.92%. Data for Black and American Indian/Alaskan Native groups were suppressed in 2010 for privacy reasons.

20002010Change
White93.72%95.08%1.45%
Hispanic2.29%2.04%-10.92%
Two or More Races1.01%1.1%8.91%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.59%0.84%42.37%
Black2.02%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.37%0%0%