2000
#89,549
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Oberstar
A German surname derived from the word "oberster," meaning highest or supreme.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 189 Americans carry the last name Oberstar. That puts it at #113,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,813,515 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberstar 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
189
1 in 1,813,515
Census rank
#113,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
165
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 165 bearers of the surname Oberstar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 113026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberstar
The surname Oberstar has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late 15th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is derived from the German words "ober" meaning "upper" and "star" meaning "star." It is believed to have originally been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived in an elevated or upper location, perhaps near a prominent star-shaped landmark or fortification.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Oberstar name appears in the town records of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to 1487. The entry refers to a certain Hans Oberstar, a merchant and landowner in the region. In the 16th century, the name can also be found in various legal documents and church records across southern Germany, with variations in spelling such as Oberstarr, Oberstarrer, and Oberstarer.
During the 17th century, the Oberstar name began to spread beyond Bavaria, with some families migrating to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Austria and Switzerland. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Oberstar (1623-1698), a respected clockmaker and inventor from the town of Nuremberg, renowned for his intricate and innovative timepiece designs.
In the 18th century, the Oberstar surname appeared in the records of the town of Bamberg, where a family of that name owned a successful brewery. The brewery's founder, Georg Oberstar (1712-1783), was considered a pioneer in the art of brewing and his descendants continued the family business for several generations.
As the 19th century dawned, the name Oberstar began to gain more prominence, with several individuals making their mark in various fields. August Oberstar (1825-1898) was a celebrated architect from Munich, known for his work on several iconic buildings in the city, including the Alte Pinakothek art museum. Another notable figure was Emma Oberstar (1847-1924), a renowned opera singer who performed on stages across Europe during her illustrious career.
In more recent times, one of the most prominent bearers of the Oberstar name was James L. Oberstar (1934-2014), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Minnesota's 8th congressional district from 1975 to 2011. He was widely respected for his advocacy on transportation and infrastructure issues and played a key role in shaping national policies in these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberstar
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberstar 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 Oberstar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 158
- Two or more races3.0% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberstar
Oberstar 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
#94,730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 193
+1 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 5,181 places
2020
#113,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 165
-28 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 18,296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #89,549 | 192 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #94,730 | 193 | 0.07 | +1 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 5,181 places |
| 2020 | #113,026 | 165 | 0.06 | -28 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 18,296 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 Oberstar 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 | #94,730 | #113,026 | -19.3% |
| Count | 193 | 165 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -21.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberstar bearers went from 193 to 165 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 18,296 positions in the national ranking, going from #94,730 to #113,026.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Oberstar
FAQ
Oberstar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberstar?
Name Census estimates that about 189 living Americans carry the surname Oberstar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,813,515 residents.
How common is Oberstar?
Oberstar ranks #113,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 165 people with the surname Oberstar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (189), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Oberstar.
Has Oberstar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberstar went from 193 recorded bearers to 165. That is a decrease of 28 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #94,730 to #113,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberstar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberstar, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Oberstar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (158 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberstar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Oberstar (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 Oberstar mean?
A German surname derived from the word "oberster," meaning highest or supreme. 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 Oberstar (0.06 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 Oberstar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.