2000
#8,289
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Ober
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked on the upper floor or attic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,866 Americans carry the last name Ober. That puts it at #9,265 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ober surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.9K
1 in 88,659
Census rank
#9,265
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,371 bearers of the surname Ober in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9265th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ober, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ober
The surname OBER has its origins in the German language, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "ober," which means "upper" or "superior." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in an elevated area or held a position of authority.
One of the earliest known references to the name OBER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages. In a document dated 1283, a certain "Conradus Ober" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction in the town of Mainz, in present-day Germany.
During the 14th century, the OBER surname began to spread across various regions of Germany, with records indicating the presence of families bearing this name in cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt, and Nuremberg. The name was also found in various forms, including Obere, Oberle, and Obert.
One notable individual with the surname OBER was Johann Ober (1484-1551), a German humanist and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.
Another prominent figure was Andreas Ober (1598-1668), a German mathematician and astronomer who worked as a professor at the University of Altdorf. He made important contributions to the fields of trigonometry and astronomy, publishing several works on these subjects.
In the 18th century, the OBER name found its way to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Belgium. One individual of note was Pieter Ober (1726-1804), a Dutch painter known for his landscapes and seascapes.
As the name spread, it also underwent various spelling changes, with Ober, Obber, and Obere being among the most common variations. In the United States, the name OBER can be traced back to the 18th century, when German immigrants began to arrive in significant numbers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Michael Ober (1738-1819), a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War. After the war, he settled in Pennsylvania and became a farmer.
Another notable American with the surname OBER was James Ober (1808-1882), a politician and businessman from Pennsylvania who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ober
Among Census respondents with the surname Ober, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ober bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Ober surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 3,069
- Two or more races3.8% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 49
- Black or African American1.1% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ober
Ober appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,724
+49 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#9,265
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,371
-353 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Down 466 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,289 | 3,675 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,799 | 3,724 | 1.26 | +49 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #9,265 | 3,371 | 1.13 | -353 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 466 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Ober surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,799 | #9,265 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,724 | 3,371 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.13 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ober bearers went from 3,724 to 3,371 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 466 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,799 to #9,265.
FAQ
Ober surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ober?
Name Census estimates that about 3,866 living Americans carry the surname Ober. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,659 residents.
How common is Ober?
Ober ranks #9,265 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,371 people with the surname Ober. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,866), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ober.
Has Ober become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ober went from 3,724 recorded bearers to 3,371. That is a decrease of 353 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,799 to #9,265.
What does the Census say about the background of Ober?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ober, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ober in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (3,069 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ober appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Ober (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Ober mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked on the upper floor or attic. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Ober (1.13 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Ober?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.