2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oestman
A Swedish surname referring to someone from eastern parts.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Oestman. 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 Oestman 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 Oestman 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 Oestman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oestman
The surname OESTMAN originated in Sweden and is believed to have derived from the Old Norse words 'austr' meaning 'east' and 'maðr' meaning 'man'. It likely referred to someone who had come from or lived in the eastern regions of Scandinavia.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Swedish records and historical documents. In the 14th century, a man named Johan Oestman was mentioned as a landowner in the province of Västergötland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name was prominent among Swedish nobility. Notable individuals included Carl Oestman (1546-1618), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from Stockholm, and Brita Oestman (1612-1689), a noblewoman who served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Christina of Sweden.
As Swedes began to emigrate to other parts of the world, the name OESTMAN spread to different countries. In the late 19th century, a family by the name of Oestman settled in the United States, with Anders Oestman (1843-1922) establishing himself as a successful farmer in Minnesota.
Another prominent individual was Erik Oestman (1875-1953), a Swedish-American inventor and engineer who was instrumental in the development of early radio technology. His contributions included the design of the first commercial radio transmitter for voice communication.
In the literary world, Carl Oestman (1892-1967) was a renowned Swedish author and poet, known for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life. His collection 'Skogsbrynet' (The Edge of the Forest) is considered a classic of Swedish literature.
The surname OESTMAN has also been associated with place names in Sweden, such as the village of Östman in the municipality of Härjedalen. This suggests that the name may have originated from or been influenced by certain geographic locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oestman
Among Census respondents with the surname Oestman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Oestman 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 Oestman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.3% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oestman
Oestman 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
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 32 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 Oestman 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 | #147,253 | #147,221 | 0.0% |
| Count | 112 | 113 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oestman bearers went from 112 to 113 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #147,221.
FAQ
Oestman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oestman?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Oestman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Oestman?
Oestman 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 Oestman. 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 Oestman.
Has Oestman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oestman went from 112 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Oestman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oestman, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Oestman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.3% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oestman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.3%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (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 Oestman (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 Oestman mean?
A Swedish surname referring to someone from eastern parts. 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 Oestman (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 common is the surname Oestman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Oestman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.