2000
#4,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,786
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.89
Rare Last name
Oden
From the Old Norse byname Óðinn, referring to the Norse god of wisdom, war, death, and poetry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,805 Americans carry the last name Oden. That puts it at #4,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,927 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oden 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
8.8K
1 in 38,927
Census rank
#4,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,678 bearers of the surname Oden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oden
The surname ODEN has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "odan," which meant "possessions" or "wealth." This suggests that the name may have originally been used to identify someone who owned significant property or resources.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century, with entries in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appeared as "Oden" and "Odene." During this time, the name was predominantly found in the counties of Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
In the 14th century, the surname ODEN appeared in various historical documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it was spelled as "Odyn." This record suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
One notable figure bearing the name ODEN was John Oden, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London during the late 15th century. He was recorded as a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and served as an alderman from 1471 to 1494.
Another individual of note was William Oden, who lived in the 16th century and was appointed as the Rector of St. Mary's Church in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1553. This connection to Stratford-upon-Avon is particularly interesting, given the town's association with William Shakespeare.
In the 17th century, the name ODEN appeared in various parish records, such as those of St. Giles Cripplegate in London, where the marriage of Thomas Oden and Elizabeth Wilcox was recorded in 1638.
The name ODEN has also been linked to place names in England, such as Oden Hill in Buckinghamshire and Oden Meadow in Oxfordshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname or vice versa.
Other notable individuals with the surname ODEN include Sir Henry Oden (1666-1743), a British military officer who served in the War of the Spanish Succession, and Thomas Oden (1792-1879), a renowned English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes.
While the surname ODEN is not as common as some other English surnames, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the medieval period and its potential roots in Old English. The name has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergymen, military officers, and artists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oden
Among Census respondents with the surname Oden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Oden 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 Oden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 4,426
- Black or African American31.9% · 2,449
- Two or more races5.7% · 436
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 288
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oden
Oden 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
#4,315
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,240
+454 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 2.79
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#4,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,678
-562 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,218 | 7,786 | 2.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,315 | 8,240 | 2.79 | +454 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #4,483 | 7,678 | 2.57 | -562 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 168 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 Oden 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 | #4,315 | #4,483 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,240 | 7,678 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.79 | 2.57 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oden bearers went from 8,240 to 7,678 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,315 to #4,483.
FAQ
Oden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oden?
Name Census estimates that about 8,805 living Americans carry the surname Oden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,927 residents.
How common is Oden?
Oden ranks #4,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,678 people with the surname Oden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Oden.
Has Oden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oden went from 8,240 recorded bearers to 7,678. That is a decrease of 562 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,315 to #4,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Oden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oden, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.9%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Oden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (4,426 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Black (31.9%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Oden (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 Oden mean?
From the Old Norse byname Óðinn, referring to the Norse god of wisdom, war, death, and poetry. 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 Oden (2.57 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 Oden?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.