NameCensus.

UK surname

Orange

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an orange tree or came from Orange, France.

In the 1881 census there were 488 people recorded with the Orange surname, ranking it #6,898 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 961, ranked #5,985, up from #6,898 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard and Leamington Priors. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Scarborough, Wakefield and Northumberland.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Orange is 961 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 96.9%.

1881 census count

488

Ranked #6,898

Modern count

961

2016, ranked #5,985

Peak year

2016

961 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Orange had 488 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #6,898 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 961 in 2016, ranked #5,985.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 783 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Orange surname distribution map

The map shows where the Orange surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Orange surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Orange over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 349 #6,747
1861 historical 359 #7,113
1881 historical 488 #6,898
1891 historical 576 #6,614
1901 historical 700 #6,290
1911 historical 783 #5,559
1997 modern 872 #6,113
1998 modern 886 #6,237
1999 modern 905 #6,174
2000 modern 887 #6,237
2001 modern 882 #6,166
2002 modern 911 #6,147
2003 modern 867 #6,246
2004 modern 866 #6,268
2005 modern 849 #6,315
2006 modern 857 #6,276
2007 modern 877 #6,216
2008 modern 866 #6,318
2009 modern 895 #6,297
2010 modern 933 #6,205
2011 modern 911 #6,270
2012 modern 929 #6,098
2013 modern 939 #6,150
2014 modern 944 #6,157
2015 modern 933 #6,160
2016 modern 961 #5,985

Geography

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Where Oranges are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard, Leamington Priors, St Matthew Bethnal Green and Bedlington. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Scarborough, Wakefield, Northumberland, Blackburn with Darwen and Newcastle upon Tyne. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 3
2 Lenton, Radford, Papplewick, Nuthall, Greasley, Brewhouse Yard Nottinghamshire
3 Leamington Priors Warwickshire
4 St Matthew Bethnal Green London (East Districts)
5 Bedlington Northumberland

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Scarborough 014 Scarborough
2 Wakefield 020 Wakefield
3 Northumberland 039 Northumberland
4 Blackburn with Darwen 008 Blackburn with Darwen
5 Newcastle upon Tyne 025 Newcastle upon Tyne

Forenames

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First names often paired with Orange

These lists show first names that appear often with the Orange surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Orange

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Orange, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Orange surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Orange household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Orange is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Orange is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Orange falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Orange is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 60-70 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

9
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Orange, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Orange

The surname Orange is believed to have originated in England, though its precise roots can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the Old French word "orenge," which referred to the orange fruit or its distinctive bright color. This name may have been used as a descriptive surname for someone with reddish or orange-colored hair or complexion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Orange can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "de Orenge," indicating that it may have originally been a locative surname referring to a place associated with oranges or orange-colored objects.

During the 12th and 13th centuries, the surname Orange began to appear more frequently in various English records and documents. Notable bearers of the name from this period include Sir John Orange (c. 1220-1292), a knight and landowner in Wiltshire, and Sir William Orange (c. 1250-1310), a prominent figure in the Court of King Edward I.

As the surname spread throughout England, it also evolved into various spelling variations, such as Orenge, Oranges, and Oranger. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the French language or by regional dialects and pronunciations.

In the 16th century, the Orange surname gained further prominence with the rise of the House of Orange-Nassau, a prestigious Dutch noble family. One of the most famous members of this family was William I, Prince of Orange (1533-1584), who played a pivotal role in the Dutch Revolt against Spanish rule and is considered a founding father of the Netherlands.

Other notable individuals with the surname Orange throughout history include:

1. Henry Orange (c. 1580-1652), an English philosopher and theologian known for his writings on metaphysics and ethics. 2. Mary Orange (c. 1630-1685), an English Quaker and one of the earliest female preachers in the Quaker movement. 3. Thomas Orange (c. 1780-1838), a British naval officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became an explorer and cartographer. 4. Elizabeth Orange (c. 1820-1892), an American educator and advocate for women's rights, who founded one of the first colleges for women in the United States. 5. Albert Orange (1876-1945), a British artist and illustrator known for his landscape paintings and illustrations for children's books.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Orange families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Orange surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 173 Oranges recorded in 1881 and an index of 3.48x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 173 3.48x
Northumberland 65 8.70x
Middlesex 58 1.15x
Lancashire 57 0.96x
Channel Islands 27 18.14x
Surrey 25 1.02x
Nottinghamshire 21 3.10x
Durham 20 1.34x
Leicestershire 14 2.51x
Lincolnshire 13 1.62x
Denbighshire 8 4.22x
Warwickshire 6 0.47x
Hampshire 5 0.49x
Cheshire 4 0.36x
Cumberland 4 0.92x
Derbyshire 3 0.38x
Lanarkshire 3 0.18x
Staffordshire 3 0.18x
Cornwall 2 0.35x
Worcestershire 2 0.30x
Glamorgan 1 0.11x
Sussex 1 0.12x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Leeds in Yorkshire leads with 65 Oranges recorded in 1881 and an index of 23.12x.

Place Total Index
Leeds 65 23.12x
Bethnal Green London 29 13.29x
Alnwick 16 124.51x
Camberwell 16 4.99x
Manchester 16 5.97x
Dewsbury 15 29.38x
Nether Hallam 15 22.27x
Westgate 15 32.40x
Wainfleet All Sts 13 555.56x
Hunslet 12 15.46x
Bedlington 11 44.07x
Gateshead 11 9.83x
Alverthorpe Cum Thornes 9 49.78x
Handsworth 9 68.39x
St Brelade 9 234.99x
St Peter Port 9 32.68x
Warrington 9 12.74x
Bowling 8 16.22x
Bersham 7 86.53x
Shoreditch London 7 3.21x
Broughton In Salford 6 11.01x
Dodworth 6 116.05x
Holbeck 6 18.19x
Leamington Priors 6 19.25x
Leicester St Margaret 6 4.42x
Mile End Old Town 6 7.57x
Pudsey 6 22.55x
Radford 6 17.44x
Ryton 6 114.29x
Whiston 6 129.03x
Woodborough 6 392.16x
Chatton 5 218.34x
Hornsey 5 7.87x
Longbenton 5 15.79x
Loughborough 5 19.79x
Lucker 5 1388.89x
Salford 5 2.85x
St Helier 5 10.32x
Arnold 4 40.49x
Whitehaven 4 17.35x
Bermondsey 3 2.01x
Burton Upon Trent 3 7.56x
Cheetham 3 6.75x
Codnor Loscoe 3 48.15x
Govan 3 0.75x
Great Meolse 3 434.78x
Hackney London 3 1.07x
Horton In Bradford 3 3.86x
Hucknall Torkard 3 17.47x
Portsea 3 1.49x
Stanley Cum Wrenthorpe 3 12.97x
Ashton Under Lyne 2 1.54x
Barkstone Ash 2 338.98x
Berwick Upon Tweed 2 12.63x
Bradford 2 1.66x
Brampton Bierlow 2 31.40x
Chorlton On Medlock 2 2.11x
Clapham 2 3.18x
Everton 2 1.05x
Iveston 2 29.03x
Leicester St Mary 2 4.44x
Liverpool 2 0.55x
Methley 2 28.53x
Newcastle On Tyne All Sts 2 4.48x
Oldbury 2 6.20x
Rawmarsh 2 11.37x
St Austell 2 10.29x
St John 2 70.42x
St Pancras London 2 0.49x
Tynemouth 2 5.00x
Wandsworth 2 4.14x
Barnsley 1 1.95x
Battersea 1 0.54x
Cardiff St Mary 1 2.08x
Dutton Diffeth 1 454.55x
Ecclesfield 1 2.74x
Elswick 1 1.68x
Kirkdale 1 1.00x
Newcastle On Tyne St 1 2.58x
Wakefield 1 2.62x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Orange surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 44
Elizabeth 24
Sarah 20
Ann 11
Eliza 10
Margaret 10
Emma 9
Emily 7
Esther 6
Hannah 6
Harriet 6
Jane 6
Alice 5
Annie 5
Clara 5
Ada 4
Caroline 4
Martha 4
Ruth 4
Catherine 3
Louisa 3
Susannah 3
Amelia 2
Anne 2
Edith 2
Eleanor 2
Ellen 2
Fanny 2
Florence 2
Frances 2
Gertrude 2
Isabella 2
M. 2
Maria 2
Rachel 2
Sophia 2
Susan 2
Tamar 2
Christiana 1
Dora 1
Emelie 1
Eva 1
Lousia 1
Marey 1
Marth. 1
Meggie 1
Mercy 1
Nelly 1
Olive 1
Philis 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Orange surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 32
James 22
Joseph 22
Thomas 20
William 20
George 16
Robert 11
Edward 9
Henry 9
Alfred 8
Walter 8
Charles 7
Arthur 5
Fred 4
Richard 4
Albert 3
Frank 3
Frederick 3
Harry 3
Thos. 3
David 2
Ernest 2
Samuel 2
Wm. 2
Archibald 1
Arnold 1
Authur 1
Benjamin 1
Clifford 1
Earnest 1
Emma 1
Flaxen 1
Forster 1
Fredrick 1
Geffrard 1
Geo. 1
Harriott 1
Hugh 1
Isaac 1
Jacob 1
Jesse 1
Joe 1
Jules 1
Luke 1
Matthew 1
Middleton 1
Peter 1
Robt. 1
Ruebe 1
Rueben 1

FAQ

Orange surname: questions and answers

How common was the Orange surname in 1881?

In 1881, 488 people were recorded with the Orange surname. That placed it at #6,898 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Orange surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 961 in 2016. That gives Orange a modern rank of #5,985.

What does the Orange surname mean?

A locational surname referring to someone who lived near an orange tree or came from Orange, France.

What does the Orange map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Orange bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.