2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ossanna
A surname denoting a person from the Italian town of Ossana.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Ossanna. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ossanna 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Ossanna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ossanna
The surname Ossanna has its origins in Italy, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Italian word "ossana," meaning "hosanna" or "praise be to God." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with religious figures or individuals involved in the church.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Ossanna can be found in the baptismal records of the town of Amalfi, located in the region of Campania, Italy. In these records, dated around 1550, there are entries for individuals bearing the surname Ossanna, indicating that the name was already established in the area at that time.
During the 17th century, the name Ossanna began to spread to other regions of Italy, particularly in the northern regions of Piedmont and Lombardy. In these areas, the surname was sometimes recorded with slight variations in spelling, such as Ossana or Osana.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure with the surname Ossanna was Antonio Ossanna, a prominent Italian architect and engineer who was born in 1731 in the city of Turin. He is best known for his contributions to the design and construction of several important buildings and structures in Turin and the surrounding areas.
Another historical figure associated with the surname Ossanna was Francesco Ossanna, born in 1825 in the town of Gavirate, in the province of Varese, Lombardy. He was a renowned scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of Italian dialects and regional languages.
In the early 20th century, the name Ossanna gained further recognition through the work of the Italian philosopher and writer, Mario Ossanna. Born in 1892 in the city of Naples, he was known for his writings on existentialism and his exploration of the human condition.
Other notable individuals with the surname Ossanna include the Italian artist Renato Ossanna, born in 1914 in the city of Milan, who was renowned for his abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures. Additionally, there was the Italian economist and academic, Ernesto Ossanna, who was born in 1928 in the town of Genoa and made significant contributions to the field of economic theory and policy.
While the surname Ossanna is not among the most common in Italy, it has a rich history and has been associated with individuals who have made notable contributions across various fields, including architecture, linguistics, philosophy, art, and economics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ossanna
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ossanna 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 Ossanna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ossanna
Ossanna 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,357 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 4,357 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,306 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 Ossanna 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 | #141,140 | #149,446 | -5.9% |
| Count | 118 | 110 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ossanna bearers went from 118 to 110 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #149,446.
FAQ
Ossanna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ossanna?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Ossanna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Ossanna?
Ossanna ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Ossanna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Ossanna.
Has Ossanna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ossanna went from 118 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Ossanna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossanna, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Ossanna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ossanna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%). 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 Ossanna (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 Ossanna mean?
A surname denoting a person from the Italian town of Ossana. 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 Ossanna (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 are called Ossanna?
Find out how many people are called Ossanna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.