2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Obershaw
A surname likely of German origin referring to someone from the town of Obershaw.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Obershaw. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Obershaw 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Obershaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Obershaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Obershaw
The surname Obershaw is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly in areas such as Yorkshire and Lancashire.
Obershaw is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place name or geographical feature. One theory suggests that it may be a combination of the Old English words "ober" meaning "upper" and "shaw" meaning a small wood or grove. This would indicate that the name originally referred to someone who lived near or owned an upper wooded area or shaw.
Another possibility is that the name is derived from a specific place name, such as Overshaw or a variation thereof. Place names were often used as surnames, particularly for those who migrated from one area to another.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Obershaw dates back to the late 13th century. In 1296, a William de Overbosco was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire. This is believed to be an early spelling variation of the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Obershaw throughout history include:
1. John Obershaw (c. 1570 - 1635), an English merchant and landowner from Yorkshire.
2. Elizabeth Obershaw (1634 - 1702), a Quaker preacher and author from Lancashire.
3. Thomas Obershaw (1712 - 1784), a farmer and local politician in Yorkshire who served as a parish councilor.
4. Margaret Obershaw (1810 - 1892), a philanthropist and advocate for women's education in Lancashire.
5. William Obershaw (1852 - 1923), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas.
While the origins of the surname Obershaw can be traced back to medieval England, it is important to note that surnames were not consistently used or recorded until the late 16th and early 17th centuries. As such, the earliest records may not fully capture the true origins and evolution of the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Obershaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Obershaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Obershaw 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 Obershaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Obershaw
Obershaw 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,677 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-11 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,894 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,677 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 11,894 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 Obershaw 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 | #133,863 | #145,757 | -8.9% |
| Count | 126 | 115 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Obershaw bearers went from 126 to 115 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 11,894 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #145,757.
FAQ
Obershaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Obershaw?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Obershaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Obershaw?
Obershaw ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Obershaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Obershaw.
Has Obershaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Obershaw went from 126 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Obershaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Obershaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Obershaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Obershaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (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 Obershaw (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 Obershaw mean?
A surname likely of German origin referring to someone from the town of Obershaw. 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 Obershaw (0.04 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 Obershaw?
If you just want to know how many people are called Obershaw, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.