2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Oberste
A German surname meaning "highest" or "uppermost".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Oberste. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oberste 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Oberste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberste, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oberste
The surname Oberste is of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "oberste," meaning "highest" or "uppermost." It is believed to have emerged as a descriptive surname in the late medieval period, likely referring to individuals who lived at the highest or uppermost point of a settlement or region.
The earliest known record of the name Oberste can be traced back to the 14th century, appearing in various historical documents from German-speaking regions. One notable reference is found in the city records of Augsburg, where an individual named Hans Oberste is mentioned as a master craftsman in 1378.
During the Renaissance period, the name Oberste gained recognition through the work of Johann Oberste, a prominent scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1501. His writings on religious reform and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation have left a lasting impact on German intellectual history.
In the 17th century, the name Oberste was associated with military leadership. Heinrich Oberste, born in 1620 in Saxony, was a renowned military commander who played a significant role in the Thirty Years' War, leading his troops to several victories against the Swedish forces.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Oberste was Wilhelm Oberste, a German painter and engraver born in 1792 in Berlin. His landscapes and portraiture works were highly regarded during the Romantic period, and many of his pieces are displayed in prestigious art galleries across Europe.
The name Oberste has also been linked to various place names and locations throughout German-speaking regions. For example, the town of Oberste in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, likely derived its name from the geographical location or the presence of individuals with the surname Oberste in the area.
Over the centuries, the surname Oberste has undergone slight variations in spelling, such as Oberst, Obrist, and Oberstleutnant, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic evolution. However, the core meaning and the connection to the concept of "highest" or "uppermost" have remained consistent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oberste
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberste, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Oberste 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 Oberste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oberste
Oberste 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,141 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-20 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,428 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 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,141 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -20 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 17,428 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 Oberste 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 | #137,327 | #154,755 | -12.7% |
| Count | 122 | 102 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oberste bearers went from 122 to 102 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 17,428 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,755.
FAQ
Oberste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oberste?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Oberste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Oberste?
Oberste ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Oberste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Oberste.
Has Oberste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oberste went from 122 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Oberste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oberste, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Oberste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oberste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Oberste (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 Oberste mean?
A German surname meaning "highest" or "uppermost". 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 Oberste (0.03 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 Oberste?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.