2000
#12,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,241
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Oestreich
A German topographic surname indicating someone from Austria or the eastern regions of Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,465 Americans carry the last name Oestreich. That puts it at #13,519 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,048 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oestreich 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
2.5K
1 in 139,048
Census rank
#13,519
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,150 bearers of the surname Oestreich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13519th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oestreich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oestreich
The surname OESTREICH is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "osterriche", which means "eastern kingdom" or "eastern realm". This name is closely associated with the historical region of Austria, which was once part of the Holy Roman Empire.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname OESTREICH can be traced back to the 13th century, appearing in various medieval documents and records from German-speaking regions. One notable example is a reference to a nobleman named Heinrich von Oestreich in a manuscript dated 1287.
During the Middle Ages, the name OESTREICH was often associated with individuals from the region of modern-day Austria or those who held lands or titles within the Austrian territories. Some historical figures bearing this surname include:
1. Rudolph IV von Oestreich (1339-1365), a Duke of Austria and a member of the House of Habsburg.
2. Albrecht III von Oestreich (1349-1395), another Duke of Austria and the founder of the Albertinian line of the House of Habsburg.
3. Friedrich III von Oestreich (1415-1493), who was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1452 until his death in 1493, and is also known as Frederick III of Habsburg.
4. Maximilian I von Oestreich (1459-1519), a Holy Roman Emperor and a member of the House of Habsburg, who ruled from 1493 to 1519.
5. Ferdinand I von Oestreich (1503-1564), a Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria, who reigned from 1558 to 1564.
As the name OESTREICH was closely tied to the Austrian territories and the House of Habsburg, it was often associated with noble families and individuals holding prominent positions within the Holy Roman Empire. Over time, the name spread to other German-speaking regions and became more widely adopted by non-noble families as well.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oestreich
Among Census respondents with the surname Oestreich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Oestreich 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 Oestreich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 2,023
- Two or more races2.4% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oestreich
Oestreich 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
#13,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,212
-29 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 1,033 places
2020
#13,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,150
-62 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,657 | 2,241 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,690 | 2,212 | 0.75 | -29 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 1,033 places |
| 2020 | #13,519 | 2,150 | 0.72 | -62 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 171 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 Oestreich 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 | #13,690 | #13,519 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,212 | 2,150 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.72 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oestreich bearers went from 2,212 to 2,150 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 171 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,690 to #13,519.
FAQ
Oestreich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oestreich?
Name Census estimates that about 2,465 living Americans carry the surname Oestreich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,048 residents.
How common is Oestreich?
Oestreich ranks #13,519 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,150 people with the surname Oestreich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,465), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Oestreich.
Has Oestreich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oestreich went from 2,212 recorded bearers to 2,150. That is a decrease of 62 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,690 to #13,519.
What does the Census say about the background of Oestreich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oestreich, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Oestreich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (2,023 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oestreich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Oestreich (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 Oestreich mean?
A German topographic surname indicating someone from Austria or the eastern regions of Germany. 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 Oestreich (0.72 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 share the surname Oestreich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.