2000
#13,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,036
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Oberholtzer
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near or on a wooden hill or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,952 Americans carry the last name Oberholtzer. That puts it at #11,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 116,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberholtzer 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
3.0K
1 in 116,109
Census rank
#11,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,574 bearers of the surname Oberholtzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberholtzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberholtzer
The surname Oberholtzer has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the late 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "ober" meaning "upper" and "holtz" meaning "wood" or "forest". It likely referred to someone who lived in an area near or above a wooded region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Oberholtzer name can be found in the town records of Mühlhausen, Thuringia, where a Hans Oberholtzer was mentioned in 1587. By the 17th century, the name had spread to other parts of central and southern Germany, with variations in spelling such as Oberholzer and Oberholzer appearing in church registers and census records.
In the 18th century, several Oberholtzer families emigrated from Germany to the American colonies, settling primarily in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest arrivals was Jacob Oberholtzer, who was born in Württemberg, Germany in 1711 and arrived in Philadelphia in 1742. He and his family established themselves in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where they became prominent members of the local Mennonite community.
Another notable figure bearing the Oberholtzer name was Johann Oberholtzer, a German artist and engraver who lived from 1734 to 1808. He is best known for his intricate copperplate engravings of landscapes and architectural scenes, many of which were published in books and portfolios during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the Oberholtzer surname continued to spread throughout North America, with families settling in various parts of the United States and Canada. One prominent individual was Martin Grove Oberholtzer, born in 1818 in Pennsylvania, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Philadelphia. He was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, now known as the University of the Arts.
Another notable Oberholtzer was Ellis Paxson Oberholtzer, a historian and author born in 1868 in Pennsylvania. He wrote extensively about the history of Pennsylvania and the American Revolution, publishing works such as "The Literary History of Philadelphia" and "The Travels of the Rev. Samuel Bownas in America, 1702-1725".
By the 20th century, the Oberholtzer surname had become well-established across various parts of North America, with families continuing to make contributions in various fields, including academia, business, and public service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberholtzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberholtzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberholtzer 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 Oberholtzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 2,487
- Two or more races1.3% · 33
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberholtzer
Oberholtzer 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
#13,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,289
+253 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 339 places
2020
#11,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,574
+285 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 1,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,665 | 2,036 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,326 | 2,289 | 0.78 | +253 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 339 places |
| 2020 | #11,656 | 2,574 | 0.86 | +285 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 1,670 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 Oberholtzer 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 | #13,326 | #11,656 | 12.5% |
| Count | 2,289 | 2,574 | 12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.86 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberholtzer bearers went from 2,289 to 2,574 (+12.5% change). The surname moved up 1,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,326 to #11,656.
FAQ
Oberholtzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberholtzer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,952 living Americans carry the surname Oberholtzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 116,109 residents.
How common is Oberholtzer?
Oberholtzer ranks #11,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.86 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 2,574 people with the surname Oberholtzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.86 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 Oberholtzer.
Has Oberholtzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberholtzer went from 2,289 recorded bearers to 2,574. That is an increase of 285 (+12.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,326 to #11,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberholtzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberholtzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Oberholtzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (2,487 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberholtzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Two or More Races (1.3%), Hispanic (1.1%). 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 Oberholtzer (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 Oberholtzer mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near or on a wooden hill or wooded area. 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 Oberholtzer (0.86 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 Americans have the surname Oberholtzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.