2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Oostema
A Dutch surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living in the eastern part of a village or settlement.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Oostema. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Oostema 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Oostema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Oostema, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oostema
The surname Oostema originates from the Netherlands and is believed to have emerged in the 16th or 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Dutch words "oost" meaning "east" and "ema" referring to a meadow or field, suggesting that the name may have been associated with someone who lived near an eastern meadow or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Oostema can be found in the 17th century Dutch manuscript "Geslachtregister van Friesland" (Genealogical Register of Friesland), which documented families and their lineages in the northern Dutch province of Friesland. This suggests that the name may have originated in this region.
In the 18th century, the name Oostema appeared in various records and documents across the Netherlands, particularly in the provinces of Friesland, Groningen, and Drenthe, indicating a strong presence in the northeastern regions of the country during this time period.
One notable individual with the surname Oostema was Pieter Oostema (1743-1825), a Dutch politician and jurist who served as the Mayor of Leeuwarden, the capital city of Friesland, in the late 18th century.
Another prominent figure was Jacobus Oostema (1804-1877), a Dutch theologian and author who wrote several works on religious subjects and served as a pastor in the Reformed Church of the Netherlands.
In the 19th century, the name Oostema was found in various genealogical records and census data across the Netherlands, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world, such as the United States and Canada, where their descendants continue to bear the surname.
An example of an early 19th-century bearer of the name was Jan Oostema (1810-1892), a Dutch farmer and landowner from the province of Groningen, whose family had roots in the region dating back several generations.
Another notable individual was Cornelis Oostema (1845-1925), a Dutch politician and businessman who served as a member of the House of Representatives in the Netherlands and was involved in various commercial ventures.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure with the surname Oostema was Egbert Oostema (1892-1975), a Dutch-American artist and painter who was born in the Netherlands but later immigrated to the United States, where he established a successful career as a landscape painter.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oostema
Among Census respondents with the surname Oostema, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Oostema 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 Oostema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 111
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oostema
Oostema appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Oostema 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oostema bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Oostema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oostema?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Oostema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Oostema?
Oostema ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Oostema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Oostema.
Has Oostema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oostema went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Oostema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oostema, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Oostema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oostema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Two or More Races (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Oostema (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 Oostema mean?
A Dutch surname derived from a topographic name referring to someone living in the eastern part of a village or settlement. 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 Oostema (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 Oostema?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.