2000
#10,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,915
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Oldenburg
A locational surname referring to a person from the city of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,259 Americans carry the last name Oldenburg. That puts it at #10,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,172 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oldenburg 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
3.3K
1 in 105,172
Census rank
#10,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,842 bearers of the surname Oldenburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oldenburg
The surname Oldenburg has its origins in the northern regions of Germany, specifically in the state of Lower Saxony. The name is derived from the city and former Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, which traces its roots back to the 12th century. The name is believed to stem from the Old Saxon words "old" meaning "old" and "burg" meaning "fortified town" or "castle."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Oldenburg can be found in various medieval records and chronicles from the 13th and 14th centuries. In the Bremische Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the former Archbishopric of Bremen, there are references to individuals with the surname Oldenburg as early as the mid-13th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Count Christian VI of Oldenburg, who lived from 1252 to 1334. He was a prominent figure in the region and played a significant role in the expansion and consolidation of the Oldenburg territory. Another notable figure was Count Dietrich of Oldenburg, who lived from 1398 to 1440 and was a renowned military commander during the Hussite Wars.
In the 15th century, the Oldenburg family rose to prominence as the ruling dynasty of Denmark, Norway, and later, Sweden. The most famous member of this dynasty was Christian I of Denmark, who was born in 1426 and reigned as King of Denmark from 1448 until his death in 1481. He was instrumental in uniting the Scandinavian kingdoms under the Kalmar Union.
Another prominent individual with the surname Oldenburg was Gerhard Oldenburg, a German astronomer who lived from 1504 to 1557. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is credited with being one of the first to observe the periodic nature of comets.
In the 17th century, the Oldenburg family continued to play a significant role in European politics. Count Anton Günther of Oldenburg, who lived from 1583 to 1667, was a renowned military leader and diplomat who served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands during the Eighty Years' War.
The surname Oldenburg has also been associated with various places and regions beyond its original homeland. For instance, the town of Oldenburg in Indiana, United States, was named after the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in recognition of the German settlers who established the community in the mid-19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oldenburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Oldenburg 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 Oldenburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,604
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 107
- Two or more races2.9% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oldenburg
Oldenburg 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
#10,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,944
+29 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 656 places
2020
#10,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
-102 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 87 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,163 | 2,915 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,819 | 2,944 | 1.00 | +29 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 656 places |
| 2020 | #10,732 | 2,842 | 0.95 | -102 bearers (-3.5%) | Up 87 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 Oldenburg 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 | #10,819 | #10,732 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,944 | 2,842 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.95 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oldenburg bearers went from 2,944 to 2,842 (-3.5% change). The surname moved up 87 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,819 to #10,732.
FAQ
Oldenburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oldenburg?
Name Census estimates that about 3,259 living Americans carry the surname Oldenburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,172 residents.
How common is Oldenburg?
Oldenburg ranks #10,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,842 people with the surname Oldenburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Oldenburg.
Has Oldenburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oldenburg went from 2,944 recorded bearers to 2,842. That is a decrease of 102 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,819 to #10,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Oldenburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oldenburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Oldenburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,604 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oldenburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Oldenburg (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 Oldenburg mean?
A locational surname referring to a person from the city of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony, Germany. 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 Oldenburg (0.95 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 surname Oldenburg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.