2000
#10,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,915
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.08
Rare Last name
Ospina
A Basque surname derived from the word "ozpina," meaning a person who lived near a field of hospitality or shelter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,641 Americans carry the last name Ospina. That puts it at #7,863 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,854 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ospina 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
4.6K
1 in 73,854
Census rank
#7,863
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,047 bearers of the surname Ospina in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7863rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ospina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ospina
The surname Ospina originated in the Iberian Peninsula, primarily in Spain and Portugal. It is derived from the Latin word "hospina," which means "guest" or "host." This suggests that the name may have been given to those who worked in the hospitality industry or owned inns or guesthouses.
The earliest recorded instances of the Ospina surname can be traced back to the 12th century in medieval Spanish documents. It is believed that the name was initially concentrated in the regions of Castile and Aragon, where it gained prominence among the nobility and landed gentry.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Ospina surname was Don Pedro Ospina, a knight who participated in the Reconquista, the centuries-long campaign to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. Don Pedro Ospina was born around 1155 and fought alongside King Alfonso VIII of Castile in the decisive Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.
As the name spread across Spain and Portugal, it underwent several spelling variations, such as Hospina, Ospino, and Ospino de Velasco. These variations often reflected regional dialects and local customs.
In the 16th century, the Ospina family gained prominence in the Spanish colonies of the Americas, particularly in present-day Colombia and Ecuador. One notable figure was Pedro Ospina y Maldonado, a Spanish conquistador born in 1515, who played a significant role in the colonization of present-day Colombia.
Another influential member of the Ospina family was Mariano Ospina Rodríguez, a Colombian statesman and journalist who served as the President of Colombia from 1857 to 1861. He was born in 1805 and played a pivotal role in shaping the country's political landscape during the 19th century.
In the 20th century, Pedro Nel Ospina Vázquez, a Colombian author and journalist born in 1858, gained recognition for his literary works and contributions to Colombian literature.
The Ospina surname has also produced several notable figures in the field of sports, particularly in soccer. One such individual is David Ospina, a Colombian professional soccer player born in 1988, who currently plays as a goalkeeper for the Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr and the Colombian national team.
While the Ospina surname has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula, it has since spread across the globe, with notable bearers in various countries and cultures, each contributing to the rich tapestry of the name's history and legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ospina
Among Census respondents with the surname Ospina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ospina 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 Ospina surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.3% · 3,818
- White4.8% · 196
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
- Two or more races0.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ospina
Ospina 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
#8,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,774
+859 bearers (+29.5%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Up 1,466 places
2020
#7,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,047
+273 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Up 834 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,163 | 2,915 | 1.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,697 | 3,774 | 1.28 | +859 bearers (+29.5%) | Up 1,466 places |
| 2020 | #7,863 | 4,047 | 1.35 | +273 bearers (+7.2%) | Up 834 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 Ospina 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 | #8,697 | #7,863 | 9.6% |
| Count | 3,774 | 4,047 | 7.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.35 | 5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ospina bearers went from 3,774 to 4,047 (+7.2% change). The surname moved up 834 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,697 to #7,863.
FAQ
Ospina surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ospina?
Name Census estimates that about 4,641 living Americans carry the surname Ospina. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,854 residents.
How common is Ospina?
Ospina ranks #7,863 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,047 people with the surname Ospina. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Ospina.
Has Ospina become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ospina went from 3,774 recorded bearers to 4,047. That is an increase of 273 (+7.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,697 to #7,863.
What does the Census say about the background of Ospina?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ospina, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Black (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Ospina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (3,818 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ospina appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.3%), White (4.8%), Black (0.3%). 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 Ospina (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 Ospina mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "ozpina," meaning a person who lived near a field of hospitality or shelter. 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 Ospina (1.35 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 Ospina?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.