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

Oey, 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 Oey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oey in America

Oey is the 78040th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oey surname appeared 245 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 Oey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oey 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 Oey

The surname OEY has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "ouwe," which means "fertile land" or "meadow." The name was likely first used to refer to someone who lived near a meadow or in a fertile area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name OEY can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Weidenau, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. In these records, there is an entry from 1573 for a Johann OEY, who was a farmer in the area.

The surname OEY has also been historically spelled in various ways, such as Oey, Oeye, and Oeij, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time. These alternative spellings can be found in various historical documents from different parts of Germany.

While the name OEY is not particularly common, there are a few notable individuals throughout history who bore this surname. One example is Wilhelm OEY (1848-1919), a German artist and painter who was known for his landscape paintings and portraits. Another individual of note is Johann OEY (1803-1872), a German theologian and professor at the University of Halle.

In the early 19th century, the name OEY also made its way to the United States, carried by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the US is that of Heinrich OEY, who arrived in New York in 1825 from the region of Baden, Germany.

Another notable individual with the surname OEY was Karl OEY (1874-1938), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in the Chicago area, including the Uptown Broadway Building, which is now a designated historical landmark.

While the surname OEY is not as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history that can be traced back to the fertile lands of Germany many centuries ago. The name has been carried by farmers, artists, scholars, and immigrants, leaving a lasting legacy across different parts of the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oey

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

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 Oey 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 Oey 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 Oey was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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