2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ogard
A residential surname indicating someone who lived near or by an orchid or garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Ogard. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ogard 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Ogard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ogard
The surname Ogard has its origins in Scandinavia, specifically Norway. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "øgr," which means "fear" or "terror." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who inspired fear or had a formidable presence.
In the early medieval period, the name Ogard was prevalent in the regions of western Norway, particularly in the areas around Bergen and Stavanger. It is documented in several Norwegian records from the 13th and 14th centuries, where variations such as "Øgard" and "Ögard" can be found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ogard can be traced back to a Norwegian nobleman named Torbjørn Ogard, who lived in the late 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Sverre Sigurdsson and played a crucial role in the Norwegian civil wars of the time.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sigrid Ogard, a Norwegian noblewoman who lived in the 14th century. She was known for her philanthropic efforts and was instrumental in the establishment of several churches and monasteries in the region of Trondheim.
In the 15th century, a family of merchants from Bergen adopted the surname Ogard. This family rose to prominence through their successful trading ventures and established themselves as influential members of the city's mercantile class.
As the name spread beyond Norway, it underwent various spelling variations. In Sweden, for instance, the name was often written as "Ogård" or "Ohgård," while in Denmark, it appeared as "Ogaard" or "Ougaard."
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Ogard surname was the Norwegian explorer and navigator Jens Ogard (1585-1653). He was instrumental in charting the northern coastlines of Scandinavia and played a significant role in the expansion of Norwegian maritime trade and exploration.
In the 18th century, a Swedish military officer named Carl Gustaf Ogard (1720-1788) achieved renown for his bravery and leadership during the Russo-Swedish War of 1741-1743. He was awarded several honors for his service and is remembered as a courageous and skilled commander.
While the name Ogard is not as common today as it once was in Scandinavia, it continues to carry a rich historical legacy and a connection to the region's storied past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ogard
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ogard 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 Ogard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.1% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 11
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ogard
Ogard 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
-11 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,129 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-13 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | -11 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 15,129 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 13,815 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 Ogard 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 | #127,494 | #141,309 | -10.8% |
| Count | 134 | 121 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ogard bearers went from 134 to 121 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 13,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #141,309.
FAQ
Ogard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ogard?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Ogard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Ogard?
Ogard ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Ogard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Ogard.
Has Ogard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ogard went from 134 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Ogard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogard, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ogard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ogard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.1%), Hispanic (9.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Ogard (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 Ogard mean?
A residential surname indicating someone who lived near or by an orchid or garden. 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 Ogard (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 many people have the last name Ogard?
See how many people have the last name Ogard on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.