2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Oschwald
A locational surname derived from a place in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Oschwald. 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 Oschwald 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 Oschwald 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 Oschwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Oschwald
The surname OSCHWALD is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German words "asc" and "wald," meaning "ash" and "forest" respectively. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or in an ash forest.
The earliest known recorded instance of the name OSCHWALD dates back to the 13th century, appearing in a manuscript from the region of Bavaria. During this time, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographical locations, indicating that the OSCHWALD name likely originated as a descriptive identifier.
In the 14th century, the OSCHWALD surname is found in records from the town of Nuremberg, which was a prominent center of trade and cultural exchange in the Holy Roman Empire. This suggests that the name may have been associated with merchants or artisans who traveled and settled in various regions.
One notable historical figure with the surname OSCHWALD was Hans Oschwald (1510-1572), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works. His etchings and woodcuts were widely admired during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent individual was Johann Oschwald (1718-1788), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the fields of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, the OSCHWALD surname appeared in records from the city of Munich, where a family of bakers and confectioners flourished. One member of this family, Georg Oschwald (1832-1902), achieved recognition for his innovative recipes and techniques in pastry-making.
The name OSCHWALD can also be found in historical records from Switzerland, where it is believed to have been introduced by German settlers or immigrants. One notable Swiss bearer of the name was Heinrich Oschwald (1877-1949), a prominent architect known for his work in designing public buildings and residential structures.
Throughout its history, the OSCHWALD surname has maintained its connection to its German roots, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Oschwaldt, Oschwalter, and Oshwald.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Oschwald
Among Census respondents with the surname Oschwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Oschwald 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 Oschwald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 114
Timeline
Historical Census data for Oschwald
Oschwald 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,652 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,652 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,046 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 Oschwald 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 | #136,449 | #146,495 | -7.4% |
| Count | 123 | 114 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Oschwald bearers went from 123 to 114 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #146,495.
FAQ
Oschwald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Oschwald?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Oschwald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Oschwald?
Oschwald 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 Oschwald. 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 Oschwald.
Has Oschwald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Oschwald went from 123 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Oschwald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Oschwald, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Oschwald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Oschwald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Oschwald (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 Oschwald mean?
A locational surname derived from a place in 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 Oschwald (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 common is the surname Oschwald?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Oschwald at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.