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

Oglesby, 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 Oglesby surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oglesby in America

Oglesby is the 2919th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oglesby surname appeared 12,271 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Oglesby.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oglesby 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 Oglesby

The surname OGLESBY has its origins in England, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words 'oegla' meaning 'from the island' and 'by' meaning a farm or settlement. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a farm or village located on an island or peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded references to the OGLESBY name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, a medieval census document compiled in 1274-1275. The entry mentions a person named William de Oglesby, indicating the presence of the surname in this region during that time period.

Over the centuries, the OGLESBY name has been associated with various places in England, particularly in the counties of Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, and Northamptonshire. Some of the earliest recorded place names linked to the surname include Ogglesby in Lincolnshire, and Oglesby in Yorkshire, which may have contributed to the surname's development.

Notable individuals with the OGLESBY surname throughout history include Robert Oglesby (1619-1692), an English Puritan clergyman and writer who authored several religious works. Another prominent figure was Sir Richard Oglesby (1824-1899), an American politician who served as the 16th Governor of Illinois from 1865 to 1869.

In the literary world, Ralph Oglesby (1935-2011) was an American academic and antiwar activist, known for his involvement in the New Left movement and his critiques of American foreign policy. Thomas Kilbourne Oglesby (1911-1988) was an American naval officer and diplomat, who served as the United States Ambassador to Nicaragua from 1967 to 1969.

Additionally, the OGLESBY name has been associated with the Oglebay family, a prominent mining and business family in West Virginia. Earl W. Oglebay (1849-1926) was a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded the Oglebay Resort and Conference Center, a popular destination in Wheeling, West Virginia.

While the OGLESBY surname has ancient roots in England, it has since spread across various parts of the world, particularly to the United States, Canada, and other countries with significant English heritage and immigration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oglesby

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

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

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

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