2000
#10,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,713
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Ogg
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Ófeigr" or "Ófeig," meaning "fearsome" or "terror."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,861 Americans carry the last name Ogg. That puts it at #11,971 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,802 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ogg 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ogg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,802
Census rank
#11,971
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,495 bearers of the surname Ogg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11971st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ogg
The surname Ogg has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word 'ogg', which means 'terror' or 'fear'. This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was considered particularly fearsome or intimidating.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document that recorded the names of Scottish landowners and nobles who were forced to swear allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as 'Ogge', suggesting that this was an early spelling variation.
In the 15th century, the Ogg family was known to have settled in the Scottish Borders region, particularly in the areas of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire. The name is also associated with the village of Ogg in Berwickshire, which may have been named after an early bearer of the surname.
One notable figure bearing the Ogg surname was Sir William Ogg, a Scottish military commander who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century. Another was John Ogg, a 16th-century Scottish clergyman and author who wrote several religious treatises.
In the 17th century, the Ogg family had a presence in the Orkney Islands, where a branch of the family resided for several generations. One of the most famous Oggs from this period was James Ogg (1642-1718), a Scottish politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Orkney and Shetland.
Moving into the 18th century, we find David Ogg (1718-1781), a Scottish minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects. He was born in Berwickshire and served as a minister in various parishes throughout Scotland.
In the 19th century, a notable Ogg was James Ogg (1790-1864), a Scottish architect who designed several notable buildings in Edinburgh, including the Calton Hill Observatory and the Playfair Library at the University of Edinburgh.
While the Ogg surname is most prevalent in Scotland and the United Kingdom, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Scottish Borders region and the Old Norse word that gave rise to this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ogg
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ogg 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 Ogg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 2,329
- Two or more races3.0% · 75
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 11
- Black or African American0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ogg
Ogg 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
#12,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,572
-141 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,327 places
2020
#11,971
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
-77 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 150 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,794 | 2,713 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,121 | 2,572 | 0.87 | -141 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 1,327 places |
| 2020 | #11,971 | 2,495 | 0.83 | -77 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 150 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 Ogg 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 | #12,121 | #11,971 | 1.2% |
| Count | 2,572 | 2,495 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.83 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ogg bearers went from 2,572 to 2,495 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 150 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,121 to #11,971.
FAQ
Ogg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ogg?
Name Census estimates that about 2,861 living Americans carry the surname Ogg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,802 residents.
How common is Ogg?
Ogg ranks #11,971 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,495 people with the surname Ogg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,861), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Ogg.
Has Ogg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ogg went from 2,572 recorded bearers to 2,495. That is a decrease of 77 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,121 to #11,971.
What does the Census say about the background of Ogg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogg, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ogg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (2,329 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ogg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ogg (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 Ogg mean?
Derived from the Old Norse personal name "Ófeigr" or "Ófeig," meaning "fearsome" or "terror." 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 Ogg (0.83 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 are called Ogg?
See how many Americans have the surname Ogg on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.