2000
#68,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 269
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Osofsky
A surname of Russian Jewish origin indicating a person from the region of Osofy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 349 Americans carry the last name Osofsky. That puts it at #69,562 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 982,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Osofsky 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
349
1 in 982,104
Census rank
#69,562
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
304
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 304 bearers of the surname Osofsky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69562nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Osofsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Osofsky
The surname Osofsky originates from Eastern Europe, particularly from regions that are now part of modern-day Ukraine and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged in the late 18th or early 19th century, derived from the Yiddish or Russian word "osof," which means "collector" or "gatherer."
The earliest known record of the name Osofsky can be traced back to the town of Zhytomyr, located in northern Ukraine, where a Jewish family bearing this surname was documented in the late 1700s. It is possible that the name may have been adopted by individuals whose occupation involved collecting or gathering goods, materials, or taxes.
In the early 19th century, the Osofsky surname appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout the Russian Empire, particularly in areas with significant Jewish populations. One notable mention is found in the memoirs of a Russian nobleman, where he recounted his interactions with a merchant named Yakov Osofsky in the city of Odesa around 1820.
Among the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Osofsky was Shmuel Osofsky, born in the town of Berdychiv (now in Ukraine) in 1791. He was a prominent scholar and Rabbi who authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Lev Osofsky (1837-1917), a Russian-born painter and art teacher who spent most of his career in St. Petersburg, where he gained recognition for his landscapes and portraits.
In the late 19th century, Esther Osofsky (1862-1942) became known as one of the first female physicians in the Russian Empire, practicing in the city of Kharkiv (now in Ukraine) and advocating for women's rights and education.
As the Osofsky family spread across Eastern Europe, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Osofski, Osofski, and Osovski. Some members of the family also adopted the surname Osofskyy or Osofskiy, reflecting the Russian or Ukrainian spelling.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Osofsky was Mikhail Osofsky (1900-1976), a Soviet composer and conductor who contributed significantly to the development of Russian and Ukrainian classical music in the 20th century.
Throughout its history, the Osofsky surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, scholars, artists, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Osofsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Osofsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Osofsky 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 Osofsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 286
- Two or more races3.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Osofsky
Osofsky 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
#64,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+39 bearers (+14.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 3,801 places
2020
#69,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 304
-4 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 5,003 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #68,360 | 269 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #64,559 | 308 | 0.10 | +39 bearers (+14.5%) | Up 3,801 places |
| 2020 | #69,562 | 304 | 0.10 | -4 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 5,003 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 Osofsky 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 | #64,559 | #69,562 | -7.7% |
| Count | 308 | 304 | -1.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 1.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Osofsky bearers went from 308 to 304 (-1.3% change). The surname moved down 5,003 positions in the national ranking, going from #64,559 to #69,562.
FAQ
Osofsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Osofsky?
Name Census estimates that about 349 living Americans carry the surname Osofsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 982,104 residents.
How common is Osofsky?
Osofsky ranks #69,562 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 304 people with the surname Osofsky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Osofsky.
Has Osofsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Osofsky went from 308 recorded bearers to 304. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #64,559 to #69,562.
What does the Census say about the background of Osofsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Osofsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Osofsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (286 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Osofsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Osofsky (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 Osofsky mean?
A surname of Russian Jewish origin indicating a person from the region of Osofy. 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 Osofsky (0.10 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 Osofsky?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.