2000
#5,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,017
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Uncommon Last name
Osman
A Turkish surname derived from the given name Osman, referring to the founder of the Ottoman Empire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,527 Americans carry the last name Osman. That puts it at #2,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osman 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 Osman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 23,594
Census rank
#2,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,668 bearers of the surname Osman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osman
The surname Osman is of Turkish origin, derived from the personal name Osman, which means "bone-breaker" or "wrestler." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century in the region of Bithynia, northwest Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).
The name Osman is closely associated with the Ottoman Empire, which was founded by Osman I (also known as Osman Gazi) in the late 13th century. Osman I was the leader of the Ottoman Turks and the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, which ruled the empire until the early 20th century.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Osman can be found in the "Dustur al-Insha," a collection of official documents from the Ottoman Empire, dating back to the 14th century. The name is also mentioned in various chronicles and manuscripts from the Ottoman period, such as the "Tevârîh-i Âl-i Osmân" (Chronicles of the House of Osman).
The earliest known person to bear the surname Osman was Osman I (c. 1258-1326), the founder of the Ottoman Empire. Other notable historical figures with the surname Osman include Osman II (1604-1622), the 16th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Osman Nuri Pasha (1832-1900), an Ottoman statesman and military commander.
In addition to its Turkish roots, the surname Osman has also been adopted in other regions and cultures. For example, there are records of Osman families in parts of the Balkans, the Caucasus region, and Central Asia, likely due to the influence and expansion of the Ottoman Empire.
Throughout history, the surname Osman has been associated with various place names and locations within the former Ottoman territories. Some examples include Osmaniye, a city in southern Turkey, and Osman Bazar, a town in present-day North Macedonia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osman
Among Census respondents with the surname Osman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Osman 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 Osman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American55.9% · 7,081
- White32.5% · 4,117
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.8% · 729
- Two or more races3.9% · 500
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 222
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osman
Osman 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
#3,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,908
+3,891 bearers (+64.7%)
Per 100,000 3.36
Rank movement Up 1,739 places
2020
#2,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,668
+2,760 bearers (+27.9%)
Per 100,000 4.24
Rank movement Up 820 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,329 | 6,017 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,590 | 9,908 | 3.36 | +3,891 bearers (+64.7%) | Up 1,739 places |
| 2020 | #2,770 | 12,668 | 4.24 | +2,760 bearers (+27.9%) | Up 820 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 Osman 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 | #3,590 | #2,770 | 22.8% |
| Count | 9,908 | 12,668 | 27.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.36 | 4.24 | 26.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osman bearers went from 9,908 to 12,668 (+27.9% change). The surname moved up 820 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,590 to #2,770.
FAQ
Osman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osman?
Name Census estimates that about 14,527 living Americans carry the surname Osman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,594 residents.
How common is Osman?
Osman ranks #2,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,668 people with the surname Osman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,527), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Osman.
Has Osman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osman went from 9,908 recorded bearers to 12,668. That is an increase of 2,760 (+27.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,590 to #2,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Osman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 55.9%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Osman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.9% (7,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (55.9%), White (32.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.8%). 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 Osman (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 Osman mean?
A Turkish surname derived from the given name Osman, referring to the founder of the Ottoman Empire. 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 Osman (4.24 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 Osman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.