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

Openshaw, 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 Openshaw surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Openshaw in America

Openshaw is the 25226th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Openshaw surname appeared 982 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 Openshaw.

We can also compare 2010 data for Openshaw 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 Openshaw

The surname Openshaw has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place called Openshaw, which was once a small village near Manchester. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "opene" meaning "open" and "sceaga" meaning "shaw" or "small wood," suggesting that the original bearers of this name may have lived in or near an open area of woodland.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Openshaw name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire from 1332, where a Robert de Openshagh is mentioned. This particular spelling variation highlights the locational origin of the name. Over time, the name evolved through various spellings such as Openshaw, Openshagh, and Openshae before settling into its modern form.

In the 16th century, the Openshaw family appears to have been well-established in the area around Manchester. Records from this time period include mentions of individuals such as John Openshaw (born around 1520), who held land in the township of Openshaw, and his son, Thomas Openshaw (born circa 1550), who served as a constable in the same area.

One notable figure from the 17th century was Robert Openshaw (1620-1695), a successful merchant and landowner who played a role in the development of the town of Openshaw. He was also involved in local government and served as a magistrate.

Moving into the 18th century, a prominent Openshaw was John Openshaw (1738-1808), a wealthy industrialist and landowner from Manchester. He was involved in the textile trade and owned several mills in the area.

In the 19th century, the name Openshaw continued to be associated with the Manchester region. One individual of note was Joseph Openshaw (1828-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the local community through his charitable endeavors.

While the Openshaw name has its roots in England, particularly in the Manchester area, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by those who emigrated from their ancestral homeland over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Openshaw

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

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

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

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