2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ogston
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stone town".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ogston. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ogston 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 Ogston with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ogston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ogston
The surname Ogston originated in Scotland, where it can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "og" meaning "ridge" and "tun" meaning "farm" or "settlement". This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name referring to a settlement located on a ridge or hill.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Ogston can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. In these rolls, the name appears as "Ogistoune".
The name Ogston is also mentioned in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from the 14th century, indicating that individuals with this surname held lands or properties during that time period.
In the 16th century, the Ogston family was prominent landowners in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland. A notable figure from this era was Alexander Ogston (c. 1525 - 1594), who served as a baillie (magistrate) in Aberdeen.
During the 17th century, the spelling of the name evolved to its modern form of "Ogston". One notable bearer of the name from this period was John Ogston (1609 - 1685), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Principal of Marischal College in Aberdeen.
In the 18th century, the Ogston family continued to hold influence in the Aberdeenshire region. Alexander Ogston (1711 - 1773) was a prominent merchant and landowner who served as a magistrate in Aberdeen.
Another notable figure with the surname Ogston was Sir William Ogston (1853 - 1932), a Scottish surgeon who made significant contributions to the field of orthopedics. He was born in Ardoe, Aberdeenshire, and served as the Regius Professor of Surgery at the University of Aberdeen.
Other historical bearers of the Ogston surname include Alexander Ogston (1844 - 1929), a Scottish physician and bacteriologist who made important discoveries in the study of microbiology, and Alexander Ogston (1877 - 1949), a Scottish golfer who competed in the early 20th century.
While the surname Ogston has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ogston
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ogston 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 Ogston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 88
- Two or more races9.1% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 6
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ogston
Ogston 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,271 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-7 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,338 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,271 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 7,338 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 Ogston 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 | #142,108 | #149,446 | -5.2% |
| Count | 117 | 110 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ogston bearers went from 117 to 110 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 7,338 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ogston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ogston?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ogston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ogston?
Ogston ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ogston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ogston.
Has Ogston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ogston went from 117 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ogston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ogston, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). 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 Ogston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ogston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Two or More Races (9.1%), American Indian/Alaska Native (5.5%). 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 Ogston (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 Ogston mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "stone town". 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 Ogston (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 share the surname Ogston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.