2010
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Odren
A Scandinavian surname possibly meaning "edge of the ridge".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Odren. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Odren 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Odren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Odren, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Odren
The surname ODREN is believed to have originated in the Scandinavian region, specifically in Norway, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old Norse word "odren," which means "courageous" or "brave." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who displayed acts of bravery or valor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name ODREN can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appears in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of historical narratives and stories from medieval Iceland. The name is mentioned in the Sturlunga saga, which chronicles the lives and conflicts of powerful Icelandic chieftains and families during the 12th and 13th centuries.
In Norway, the ODREN surname can be found in various historical records and documents from the 14th century onwards. For instance, the name is mentioned in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of medieval Norwegian diplomas and letters, which includes references to individuals bearing the ODREN name.
One notable individual with the surname ODREN was Olaf Odren, a Norwegian nobleman and military leader who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in chronicles for his role in the battles against Swedish forces during the Swedish-Norwegian Union conflict.
Another historical figure with the ODREN surname was Ingrid Odren, a Norwegian woman who lived in the 16th century. She is recorded in local parish records as being involved in a legal dispute over land ownership in the region of Trøndelag.
In the 17th century, the ODREN surname appears to have spread beyond Norway and can be found in records from other Scandinavian countries, such as Sweden and Denmark. One notable example is Hans Odren, a Danish merchant who lived in Copenhagen during the late 17th century and is mentioned in trade records of the time.
As the name spread across Scandinavia, various spelling variations emerged, including Odren, Odreen, and Odrine. These variations can be found in historical documents and records from different regions and time periods.
It is worth noting that the ODREN surname is relatively uncommon in modern times, but its historical roots and association with bravery and courage make it a distinctive and intriguing name with a rich Scandinavian heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Odren
Among Census respondents with the surname Odren, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Odren 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 Odren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino8.9% · 10
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Odren
Odren appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-14 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,091 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 14,091 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 Odren 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 | #133,863 | #147,954 | -10.5% |
| Count | 126 | 112 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Odren bearers went from 126 to 112 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 14,091 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #147,954.
FAQ
Odren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Odren?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Odren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Odren?
Odren ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Odren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Odren.
Has Odren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Odren went from 126 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 14 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Odren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Odren, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.9%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Odren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Odren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Hispanic (8.9%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Odren (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 Odren mean?
A Scandinavian surname possibly meaning "edge of the ridge". 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 Odren (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 surname Odren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.