2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Osma
A surname derived from the Arabic word "asma" meaning "loftiest" or "most sublime."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Osma. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osma 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Osma in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.5%) and Black (12.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osma
The surname Osma has its origins in Spain, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic name 'Usama', which means 'lion' or 'brave warrior'. This suggests that the name may have been borne by individuals of Arabic descent during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Osma can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century. This document mentions an individual named Gonzalo Osma, who was a nobleman in the Kingdom of Navarre.
In the 13th century, the name Osma appeared in the Libro de la Montería, a hunting treatise commissioned by King Alfonso XI of Castile. It refers to a village called Osma, which was likely named after a person with the same surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Osma include Pedro Osma y Tricio (1558-1622), a Spanish clergyman who served as the Bishop of Huesca and Jaén. Another prominent figure was José María Osma y Ramírez de Arellano (1828-1904), a Spanish politician and nobleman who held the title of Marquis of la Puente y Sotomayor.
In the field of art, Juan Osma y Grimalt (1860-1933) was a Spanish painter known for his landscapes and portraits. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and exhibited his works at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts.
Lastly, Mariano Tomás Osma y Scull (1859-1919) was a Cuban politician and lawyer who served as the President of the House of Representatives of Cuba from 1916 to 1919.
While the surname Osma is not among the most common in Spain, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, ranging from clergymen and noblemen to artists and politicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osma
Among Census respondents with the surname Osma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.5%) and Black (12.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Osma 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 Osma surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino39.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander36.5% · 42
- Black or African American12.2% · 14
- White10.4% · 12
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osma
Osma 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,590 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 Osma 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 | #148,347 | #145,757 | 1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 115 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osma bearers went from 111 to 115 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,590 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,757.
FAQ
Osma surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osma?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Osma. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Osma?
Osma ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Osma. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Osma.
Has Osma become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osma went from 111 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Osma?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osma, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 39.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (36.5%) and Black (12.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Osma in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.1% (45 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osma appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (39.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (36.5%), Black (12.2%). 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 Osma (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 Osma mean?
A surname derived from the Arabic word "asma" meaning "loftiest" or "most sublime." 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 Osma (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 have the surname Osma?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.