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

Oiler, 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 Oiler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Oiler in America

Oiler is the 25445th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Oiler surname appeared 972 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 Oiler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Oiler 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 Oiler

The surname Oiler is of Anglo-Saxon English origin, deriving from the occupation of an 'oiler' – a person who applied oil to machinery or other equipment. It first appeared in records during the late 13th century, with early variants such as Oylour and Oyler being noted.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Thomas le Oylour, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Bedfordshire in 1273. The Pipe Rolls were a series of financial records kept by the English Exchequer from the 12th to the 19th centuries, providing valuable insights into the names and occupations of people from that era.

In the 14th century, the surname Oiler or its variants can be found in various historical documents, such as the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a John Oylour is recorded in 1317. These manorial records often captured the names of tenants and local workers, offering a glimpse into the daily lives of medieval communities.

The Oiler surname also has connections to certain place names, particularly in areas where oiling mills or workshops were located. For instance, the village of Oiler in Northamptonshire, England, may have derived its name from individuals bearing this occupational surname, who likely worked in local oiling establishments.

One notable figure in history who bore the Oiler surname was Johannes Oiler (c. 1490-1550), a German theologian and Reformer from Nuremberg. He was a supporter of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in Germany during the 16th century.

Another individual of historical importance was Sir Richard Oiler (1642-1719), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of English contract law and his influential rulings on commercial disputes.

In the realm of art, the name Oiler is associated with John Henry Oiler (1833-1888), an American landscape painter known for his depictions of the Hudson River Valley and the Adirondack Mountains. His works are held in prestigious collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The Oiler surname also has connections to the American West, with one notable bearer being John Wesley Oiler (1851-1930), a cattle rancher and entrepreneur who played a pivotal role in the early cattle industry in Oklahoma and Texas.

Lastly, Merrill J. Oiler (1920-2010) was a prominent American physicist and engineer who made significant contributions to the field of aeronautics and worked for companies like Lockheed and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Oiler

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

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

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

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