2000
#62,775
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 298
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Oberbeck
An occupational surname referring to those who resided near a running brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 461 Americans carry the last name Oberbeck. That puts it at #55,187 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 743,502 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberbeck 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
461
1 in 743,502
Census rank
#55,187
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
402
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 402 bearers of the surname Oberbeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 55187th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberbeck
The surname Oberbeck has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is a locational name, derived from the place name "Oberbeck" or "Obernbeck," which means "upper brook" or "upper stream" in German. This name likely originated from a settlement or village located near a higher-elevation stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Oberbeck can be found in various German records and documents from the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, the name appears in the church records of the town of Werne in Westphalia, Germany, in the year 1592. Additionally, the name is mentioned in the tax records of the city of Cologne in 1618.
One notable individual with the surname Oberbeck was Johann Friedrich Oberbeck (1739-1808), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Göttingen. Another prominent figure was Wilhelm Oberbeck (1819-1896), a German merchant and businessman who played a significant role in the industrialization of the Ruhr region.
In the field of science, the name Oberbeck is associated with Arnold Oberbeck (1846-1900), a German physicist and mathematician known for his contributions to the study of fluid dynamics. He is particularly renowned for the Oberbeck-Boussinesq approximation, a widely used simplification in the Navier-Stokes equations.
The Oberbeck surname can also be found in historical records from other parts of Germany, such as the city of Hamburg. Here, the name is mentioned in the city's church records as early as the 17th century. One notable individual from this region was Johann Oberbeck (1694-1768), a merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
Another individual of note is Max Oberbeck (1846-1900), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (German parliament) in the late 19th century, representing the city of Duisburg.
While the surname Oberbeck has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the historical records and individuals mentioned above provide valuable insights into the origins and early development of this surname within the German context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberbeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberbeck 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 Oberbeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 361
- Two or more races5.2% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberbeck
Oberbeck 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
#61,585
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 326
+28 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 1,190 places
2020
#55,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 402
+76 bearers (+23.3%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 6,398 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #62,775 | 298 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #61,585 | 326 | 0.11 | +28 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 1,190 places |
| 2020 | #55,187 | 402 | 0.13 | +76 bearers (+23.3%) | Up 6,398 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 Oberbeck 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 | #61,585 | #55,187 | 10.4% |
| Count | 326 | 402 | 23.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.13 | 22.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberbeck bearers went from 326 to 402 (+23.3% change). The surname moved up 6,398 positions in the national ranking, going from #61,585 to #55,187.
FAQ
Oberbeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberbeck?
Name Census estimates that about 461 living Americans carry the surname Oberbeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 743,502 residents.
How common is Oberbeck?
Oberbeck ranks #55,187 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 402 people with the surname Oberbeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (461), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Oberbeck.
Has Oberbeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberbeck went from 326 recorded bearers to 402. That is an increase of 76 (+23.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #61,585 to #55,187.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberbeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberbeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Oberbeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (361 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberbeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Oberbeck (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 Oberbeck mean?
An occupational surname referring to those who resided near a running brook or stream. 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 Oberbeck (0.13 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 common is the surname Oberbeck?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Oberbeck at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.