2000
#34,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Osment
An English surname derived from the Old English words "os" meaning "ox" and "man" possibly indicating a former oxherd or cattle-herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 665 Americans carry the last name Osment. That puts it at #40,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 515,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osment 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 Osment with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
665
1 in 515,420
Census rank
#40,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
580
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 580 bearers of the surname Osment in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osment, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osment
The surname Osment is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the medieval period, specifically the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Somerset, located in the southwestern region of England.
One theory about the etymology of the name Osment suggests that it derived from the Old English words "os" and "mund," which together mean "divine protection." This implies that the surname may have initially referred to a person who was considered to be under divine protection or guidance.
Another possible origin of the name Osment is that it is a variant spelling of the surname "Osmond," which has its roots in the Old English personal name "Osmund." This name was composed of the elements "os" meaning "god" and "mund" meaning "protection."
Early records of the Osment surname can be found in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Somersetshire from 1273, where it is spelled as "Osmund." The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England compiled in 1086, does not directly mention the Osment surname, but it does record places that may have influenced the name's development, such as the village of Osmington in Dorset.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Osment was John Osment, who was born in Somerset around 1450. Another notable figure was William Osment, a merchant and landowner from Dorset, who lived in the late 16th century and was involved in the wool trade.
In the 17th century, the Osment surname appeared in various parishes across England, including those in Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. One notable bearer of the name during this period was Robert Osment, a yeoman farmer from Somerset, who was born in 1620 and died in 1685.
In the 18th century, the Osment family had a presence in the town of Bridgwater, Somerset. One member of this family was John Osment, a prominent merchant and ship owner, who was born in 1725 and died in 1802.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth Osment, an English writer and poet who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She was born in Somerset in 1768 and published several works, including a collection of poems titled "The Village Muse" in 1799.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osment
Among Census respondents with the surname Osment, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Osment 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 Osment surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 533
- Two or more races4.0% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osment
Osment 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
#35,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 629
+13 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 1,010 places
2020
#40,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 580
-49 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 4,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,711 | 616 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,721 | 629 | 0.21 | +13 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 1,010 places |
| 2020 | #40,641 | 580 | 0.19 | -49 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 4,920 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 Osment 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 | #35,721 | #40,641 | -13.8% |
| Count | 629 | 580 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.19 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osment bearers went from 629 to 580 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 4,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,721 to #40,641.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Osment
FAQ
Osment surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osment?
Name Census estimates that about 665 living Americans carry the surname Osment. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 515,420 residents.
How common is Osment?
Osment ranks #40,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 580 people with the surname Osment. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (665), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Osment.
Has Osment become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osment went from 629 recorded bearers to 580. That is a decrease of 49 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,721 to #40,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Osment?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osment, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Osment in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (533 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osment appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Osment (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 Osment mean?
An English surname derived from the Old English words "os" meaning "ox" and "man" possibly indicating a former oxherd or cattle-herder. 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 Osment (0.19 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 share the surname Osment?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.