2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Oedekoven
A German habitational surname derived from the place name Oedekoven or Ödekoven, indicating an ancestral origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Oedekoven. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oedekoven 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Oedekoven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oedekoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oedekoven
The surname Oedekoven originates from the Low German language spoken in northern Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have first emerged in the 15th century in the region of Westphalia, which encompasses parts of present-day North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony.
The name Oedekoven is thought to be derived from the old Germanic words "od" or "ode," meaning "land" or "property," and "koven," meaning "to purchase" or "to acquire." Thus, Oedekoven likely referred to someone who had acquired or purchased land or property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of the town of Warendorf, located in the Münsterland region of Westphalia, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention an individual named Johann Oedekoven, who was born around 1470.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various documents and records from the Duchy of Westphalia, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. For example, a certain Gertrud Oedekoven is mentioned in a legal document from the town of Soest in 1542.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name Oedekoven spread to other parts of Germany, as well as to neighboring regions like the Netherlands and Belgium. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Wilhelm Oedekoven (1556-1621), a merchant and alderman in the city of Münster.
2. Maria Oedekoven (1638-1712), a Catholic nun and abbess of the convent in Kevelaer, North Rhine-Westphalia.
3. Caspar Oedekoven (1693-1761), a painter and engraver from the town of Attendorn, known for his religious works.
4. Johann Oedekoven (1725-1799), a Catholic priest and theologian from the Duchy of Westphalia.
5. Friedrich Oedekoven (1801-1875), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
The name Oedekoven has also been found in various spellings over the centuries, such as Oedekoven, Oedekoven, Ödekoven, and Ödekoven, reflecting the regional linguistic variations and differences in orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oedekoven
Among Census respondents with the surname Oedekoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Oedekoven 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 Oedekoven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 106
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oedekoven
Oedekoven 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+12 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,491 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 12,491 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 Oedekoven 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 | #159,712 | #147,221 | 7.8% |
| Count | 101 | 113 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oedekoven bearers went from 101 to 113 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 12,491 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #147,221.
FAQ
Oedekoven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oedekoven?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Oedekoven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Oedekoven?
Oedekoven ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Oedekoven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Oedekoven.
Has Oedekoven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oedekoven went from 101 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 12 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Oedekoven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oedekoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Oedekoven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oedekoven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Oedekoven (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 Oedekoven mean?
A German habitational surname derived from the place name Oedekoven or Ödekoven, indicating an ancestral origin. 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 Oedekoven (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 Oedekoven?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.