2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oelhafen
A locational surname referring to someone living near an oil harbor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Oelhafen. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oelhafen 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
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Oelhafen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oelhafen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oelhafen
The surname Oelhafen originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated as a habitational name, derived from a place name referring to a harbor or port for oil or other goods. The name may be derived from the German words "Oel" meaning oil and "Hafen" meaning harbor or port.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in Bavaria, Germany. In a historical document from 1582, a merchant named Hans Oelhafen is mentioned as having traded in oils and other goods from the nearby port.
Another notable early reference to the name comes from the city of Hamburg, Germany. In a shipping record from 1627, a shipment of goods is listed as being received by a merchant named Gert Oelhafen at the city's harbor.
Over the centuries, the name Oelhafen has been found in various regions of Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as Oelhafn, Oelhafen, and Ölhafen.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Oelhafen was Johann Oelhafen (1592-1648), a German Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony. He is known for his work "Monita Prudentiae," a collection of moral and ethical teachings.
Another notable figure was Christoph Oelhafen (1666-1738), a German architect and builder who worked in the city of Dresden. He is credited with designing several notable buildings, including the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche) in Dresden, which was rebuilt after being destroyed during World War II.
In the 19th century, Karl Oelhafen (1810-1887) was a prominent German politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was known for his advocacy of progressive legal reforms.
The name Oelhafen has also been associated with various places and geographic features throughout Germany. For example, Oelhafenplatz (Oelhafen Square) is a notable public square in the city of Leipzig, named after the nearby harbor where goods were historically unloaded and traded.
While the surname Oelhafen is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of Germany's rich cultural and historical heritage, reflecting the country's long-standing traditions of trade, commerce, and craftsmanship.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oelhafen
Among Census respondents with the surname Oelhafen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Oelhafen 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 Oelhafen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 130
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oelhafen
Oelhafen 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
#110,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
+51 bearers (+47.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 30,963 places
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-20 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 17,586 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #110,825 | 159 | 0.05 | +51 bearers (+47.2%) | Up 30,963 places |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -20 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 17,586 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 Oelhafen 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 | #110,825 | #128,411 | -15.9% |
| Count | 159 | 139 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oelhafen bearers went from 159 to 139 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 17,586 positions in the national ranking, going from #110,825 to #128,411.
FAQ
Oelhafen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oelhafen?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Oelhafen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Oelhafen?
Oelhafen ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 139 people with the surname Oelhafen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Oelhafen.
Has Oelhafen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oelhafen went from 159 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 20 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #110,825 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Oelhafen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oelhafen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Oelhafen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oelhafen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Oelhafen (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 Oelhafen mean?
A locational surname referring to someone living near an oil harbor. 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 Oelhafen (0.05 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 Oelhafen?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.