2000
#5,346
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,999
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Osgood
Derived from the Old English elements "os" meaning "god" and "gōd" meaning "good," likely referring to a pious person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,718 Americans carry the last name Osgood. That puts it at #5,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osgood 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 Osgood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,020
Census rank
#5,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,858 bearers of the surname Osgood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osgood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osgood
The surname Osgood originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It is derived from the Old English personal name Osegod, which is composed of the elements "os" meaning "god" and "god" meaning "good". The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who was considered a devout or virtuous individual.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Osgood can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed in various forms, such as Osgod, Osgot, and Osgodde.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, where a certain Roger Osgod was mentioned in 1166. Another early record is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Wiltshire from 1199, which mentions a William Osgod.
The surname Osgood has its roots in several English counties, including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Oxfordshire. It is believed that the name may have originated in the village of Osgodby in Yorkshire, which was once known as Osgodby or Osgodebi.
One notable individual with the surname Osgood was Samuel Osgood (1747-1813), an American merchant and statesman from Massachusetts. He served as the first Postmaster General of the United States from 1789 to 1791 under President George Washington.
Another prominent figure was Frances Sargent Osgood (1811-1850), an American poet and writer from Massachusetts. She was a well-known literary figure in her time and published several collections of poetry.
In the 19th century, Peter Osgood (1847-1913) was a British clergyman and author who served as the Bishop of Ely from 1905 until his death.
John Fell Osgood (1835-1912) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives.
Lastly, Howard Osgood (1872-1915) was an American architect from New York who designed several notable buildings, including the Old Post Office in Washington, D.C., and the New York State Education Building in Albany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osgood
Among Census respondents with the surname Osgood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Osgood 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 Osgood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 5,137
- Black or African American4.6% · 271
- Two or more races3.5% · 205
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 182
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osgood
Osgood 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
#5,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,186
+187 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 273 places
2020
#5,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,858
-328 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,346 | 5,999 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,619 | 6,186 | 2.10 | +187 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 273 places |
| 2020 | #5,700 | 5,858 | 1.96 | -328 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 81 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 Osgood 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 | #5,619 | #5,700 | -1.4% |
| Count | 6,186 | 5,858 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.10 | 1.96 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osgood bearers went from 6,186 to 5,858 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,619 to #5,700.
FAQ
Osgood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osgood?
Name Census estimates that about 6,718 living Americans carry the surname Osgood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,020 residents.
How common is Osgood?
Osgood ranks #5,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 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 5,858 people with the surname Osgood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,718), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 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 Osgood.
Has Osgood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osgood went from 6,186 recorded bearers to 5,858. That is a decrease of 328 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,619 to #5,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Osgood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osgood, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Osgood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (5,137 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osgood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Osgood (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 Osgood mean?
Derived from the Old English elements "os" meaning "god" and "gōd" meaning "good," likely referring to a pious person. 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 Osgood (1.96 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 Osgood?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Osgood at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.