2000
#4,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.84
Rare Last name
Osburn
Derived from a place name meaning "stream of the deity," or from a nickname for someone with a divine quality.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,252 Americans carry the last name Osburn. That puts it at #4,763 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 41,536 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osburn 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 Osburn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.3K
1 in 41,536
Census rank
#4,763
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,196 bearers of the surname Osburn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4763rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osburn
The surname Osburn is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "os" meaning "ox" and "burn" meaning "stream" or "small river". It is believed to have originated as a locational name, referring to a place where oxen were watered or crossed a stream. The earliest known recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century.
The name first appeared in historical records in Oxfordshire, England, where it was spelled as "Oxenburn" or "Oxburne". In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a record of land tenure in England, there is a mention of Robert de Oxenburne holding lands in Oxfordshire.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, including Oxburn, Oxbourne, Oxbarn, and eventually Osburn. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during those times.
One notable historical figure with the surname Osburn was Sir John Osburn, a prominent English politician and landowner who lived from 1585 to 1665. He served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire and was knighted by King Charles I in 1628.
Another individual of note was William Osburn, born in 1687 in Oxfordshire. He was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with developing innovative techniques in clock-making during the early 18th century.
In the late 16th century, the Osburn family established themselves in the county of Gloucestershire, where they owned substantial landholdings. Thomas Osburn, born in 1542, was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace in Gloucestershire.
The Osburn name also appears in historical records in other parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Lancashire, suggesting that families with this surname may have migrated from their original homelands to other regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Osburn name in the Americas was in 1635, when Edward Osburn, born in 1610 in Oxfordshire, arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony as part of the Great Migration from England.
Throughout history, the Osburn surname has been associated with various occupations, including farming, clockmaking, and public service. The name has endured over the centuries, and its origins can be traced back to the Old English language and the rural landscapes of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osburn
Among Census respondents with the surname Osburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Osburn 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 Osburn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 6,183
- Two or more races5.5% · 395
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 266
- Black or African American2.7% · 196
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osburn
Osburn 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
#4,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,549
-124 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 425 places
2020
#4,763
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,196
-353 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.41
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,274 | 7,673 | 2.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,699 | 7,549 | 2.56 | -124 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 425 places |
| 2020 | #4,763 | 7,196 | 2.41 | -353 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 64 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 Osburn 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 | #4,699 | #4,763 | -1.4% |
| Count | 7,549 | 7,196 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.56 | 2.41 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osburn bearers went from 7,549 to 7,196 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,699 to #4,763.
FAQ
Osburn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osburn?
Name Census estimates that about 8,252 living Americans carry the surname Osburn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 41,536 residents.
How common is Osburn?
Osburn ranks #4,763 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.41 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,196 people with the surname Osburn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.41 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Osburn.
Has Osburn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osburn went from 7,549 recorded bearers to 7,196. That is a decrease of 353 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,699 to #4,763.
What does the Census say about the background of Osburn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osburn, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.5%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Osburn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (6,183 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osburn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Two or More Races (5.5%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Osburn (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 Osburn mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "stream of the deity," or from a nickname for someone with a divine quality. 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 Osburn (2.41 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 are called Osburn?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Osburn is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.