Find out how popular the last name Oehm is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Oehm.

Oehm, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Oehm surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oehm in America

Oehm is the 78821st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oehm surname appeared 242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Oehm.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oehm to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Oehm

The surname Oehm is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old German word "ouwa," which means "riverbank" or "meadow by a river." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a riverbank or in a riverside meadow.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Oehm can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the principality of Anhalt in central Germany, dating back to the 12th century. This collection includes references to individuals bearing the surname Oehm or variations such as Oehme and Oehmen.

In the 14th century, the name appears in the Bürgeraufnahmen (Citizen Registration) records of the city of Nuremberg, indicating the presence of Oehm families in this prominent German city during that period. Some notable individuals from this time include Hans Oehm, a merchant and member of the city council in Nuremberg, who lived from around 1360 to 1425.

During the 16th century, the surname Oehm gained prominence in the Electorate of Saxony, where it was associated with several notable figures. One such individual was Johann Oehm, a renowned theologian and reformer who lived from 1498 to 1573 and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.

In the 17th century, the Oehm family had connections to the world of arts and culture. Johann Gottfried Oehm (1668-1738) was a German composer and organist who served as the court musician in Weissenfels, while his son, Johann Gottlieb Oehm (1698-1766), was a respected painter and engraver known for his religious works.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Oehm continued to be prominent in various regions of Germany. Notable individuals during this period include Carl Friedrich Oehm (1768-1838), a German architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Dresden, and August Wilhelm Oehm (1799-1868), a German politician and member of the Frankfurt Parliament during the revolutionary years of 1848-1849.

As the name Oehm spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Ohm, Oehme, and Oehmen, reflecting regional dialects and linguistic variations. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its connection to riverbanks and riverside meadows.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oehm

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Oehm.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Oehm was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Oehm has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Oehm was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Oehm, please contact us.

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