2000
#7,886
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,895
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.44
Rare Last name
Odle
Derived from a place name meaning "wooded hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,309 Americans carry the last name Odle. That puts it at #8,435 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,544 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odle 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
4.3K
1 in 79,544
Census rank
#8,435
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,758 bearers of the surname Odle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8435th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odle
The surname ODLE has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "odal," which meant a homestead or an estate held by inheritance. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who owned or resided on such inherited properties.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ODLE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, including "Odele" and "Odell," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that era.
In the 13th century, records show the presence of an individual named John Odle in the county of Oxfordshire. This could be one of the earliest documented instances of the modern spelling of the surname. Around the same time, the name was also found in areas such as Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire, indicating its spread across different regions of England.
The ODLE surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One example is Thomas Odle (c.1570-1623), an English clergyman and writer who served as the rector of Woodchurch in Kent. Another prominent figure was John Odle (1681-1749), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Spanish Succession and later became the Governor of Newfoundland.
In the literary realm, Samuel Odle (1677-1720) was an English poet and playwright known for his works such as "The Double Welcome" and "The Rover." Additionally, William Odle (1786-1856) was a renowned English architect responsible for designing several notable buildings, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Weyhill, Hampshire.
The ODLE surname has also been linked to place names and older spellings of locations. For instance, the village of Odell in Bedfordshire, England, may have derived its name from the Old English word "odal," potentially indicating a connection to the surname's origins.
It is worth noting that while the ODLE surname has a rich history in England, it has also been found in various other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the spread of English-speaking populations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odle
Among Census respondents with the surname Odle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Odle 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 Odle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 3,242
- Black or African American5.1% · 190
- Two or more races4.3% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 94
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odle
Odle 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
#8,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,984
+89 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 431 places
2020
#8,435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,758
-226 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,886 | 3,895 | 1.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,317 | 3,984 | 1.35 | +89 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 431 places |
| 2020 | #8,435 | 3,758 | 1.26 | -226 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 118 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 Odle 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 | #8,317 | #8,435 | -1.4% |
| Count | 3,984 | 3,758 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.26 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odle bearers went from 3,984 to 3,758 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,317 to #8,435.
FAQ
Odle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,309 living Americans carry the surname Odle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,544 residents.
How common is Odle?
Odle ranks #8,435 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,758 people with the surname Odle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,309), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Odle.
Has Odle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odle went from 3,984 recorded bearers to 3,758. That is a decrease of 226 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,317 to #8,435.
What does the Census say about the background of Odle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odle, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are Black (5.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Odle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (3,242 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), Black (5.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Odle (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 Odle mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "wooded hill" in Old English. 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 Odle (1.26 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 Odle?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.