2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Odaffer
An English habitational name derived from a village location called Otterford.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Odaffer. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odaffer 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Odaffer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odaffer
The surname Odaffer is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "od" meaning "fortune" or "wealth" and "affer" meaning "offspring" or "descendant," thus suggesting the name may have referred to someone who was born into a wealthy or fortunate family.
Records indicate that the Odaffer name can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Bavaria, where variations such as Odafer and Odafre were documented in local parish registers and land deeds. There are mentions of an Odaffer family residing in the town of Augsburg in the late 1200s, though specific details about these individuals are scarce.
One of the earliest known references to the Odaffer name appears in the chronicles of the Benedictine monastery in Tegernsee, which record a donation made by a certain Ulrich Odaffer in the year 1312. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by the early 14th century.
The Odaffer surname may also be connected to the place name Odaffen, a small village located near the town of Traunstein in modern-day Bavaria. It is possible that the name originated as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from or lived in this particular area.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Odaffer surname, including:
1. Hans Odaffer (c. 1450 - 1520), a German goldsmith and engraver known for his intricate religious artworks.
2. Konrad Odaffer (1523 - 1587), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
3. Luise Odaffer (1798 - 1872), a German author and poet who wrote several collections of romantic verse.
4. Wilhelm Odaffer (1835 - 1912), a Bavarian politician and member of the Reichstag, the imperial parliament of Germany.
5. Otto Odaffer (1869 - 1943), a German architect and urban planner responsible for designing several iconic buildings in Munich.
While the Odaffer name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns, though it remains relatively uncommon outside of its region of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odaffer
Among Census respondents with the surname Odaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Odaffer 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 Odaffer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odaffer
Odaffer 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Odaffer 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odaffer bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Odaffer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odaffer?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Odaffer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Odaffer?
Odaffer ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Odaffer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Odaffer.
Has Odaffer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odaffer went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Odaffer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odaffer, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Odaffer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odaffer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Odaffer (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 Odaffer mean?
An English habitational name derived from a village location called Otterford. 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 Odaffer (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 many people have the last name Odaffer?
If you just want to know how many people are called Odaffer, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.