Find out how popular the last name Oberst is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Oberst.

Oberst, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Oberst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oberst in America

Oberst is the 20458th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oberst surname appeared 1,298 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Oberst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oberst to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Oberst

The surname OBERST originates from Germany, with its earliest known usage dating back to the 12th century. It derives from the German word "Oberst," which means "highest" or "uppermost," and was likely used as a descriptive name for someone living at the highest point in a village or town.

In the early 13th century, records show the name OBERST appearing in the Reichenau Codex, a collection of manuscripts from the Reichenau Abbey on Lake Constance, Germany. This suggests that the name may have been prevalent in that region during the Medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname OBERST was Hans Oberst, a poet and composer who lived in Bamberg, Germany, in the late 15th century. His works were widely circulated and influential in the region.

During the 16th century, the OBERST name appeared in various town and village records across southwestern Germany, particularly in the states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. The spelling variations at the time included Oberste, Obrist, and Obristen.

In the 17th century, a notable figure was Johann Heinrich Oberst (1615-1688), a German theologian and author from Saxony. He wrote extensively on religious topics and his works were widely read throughout Protestant Europe.

Another notable individual was Friedrich Wilhelm Oberst (1758-1823), a German botanist and physician from Hesse. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and was a respected figure in the scientific community of his time.

In the 19th century, the OBERST name was found in several historical records from the Palatinate region of Germany. One example is Johann Adam Oberst (1805-1877), a prominent businessman and landowner from the town of Neustadt an der Weinstraße.

As the OBERST surname spread across Germany over the centuries, it also made its way into neighboring countries, such as Switzerland, Austria, and Poland, where variations of the name can still be found today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oberst

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Oberst.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Oberst was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Oberst has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Oberst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Oberst, please contact us.

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