2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ossege
A Ukrainian occupational surname referring to a scythe maker or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Ossege. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ossege 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Ossege in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossege, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ossege
The surname OSSEGE has its origins in the Middle English language and can be traced back to the 14th century in England. It is derived from the Old English word "oss," meaning ox, and "egge," meaning edge or border, likely referring to someone who lived near the edge of a field or settlement where oxen grazed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, from 1348, where a William Ossegge is mentioned as a tenant farmer. This suggests that the name may have originated in the Yorkshire region, where it was initially associated with agricultural settlements and landholdings.
In the 15th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as Ossegge, Ossedge, and Ossidge, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling common during that time. One notable bearer of the name was John Ossege, born around 1420 in Nottinghamshire, who served as a yeoman in the household of Sir Thomas Chaworth, a prominent landowner.
As the centuries progressed, the OSSEGE surname spread across England, with pockets of concentration in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. In the 16th century, the name is documented in the Parish Registers of St. Mary's Church in Nottingham, where the christening of Thomas Ossege, son of William Ossege, is recorded in 1563.
During the 17th century, the OSSEGE surname gained prominence in Lincolnshire, where a family of landowners and clergymen bearing the name resided. Reverend William Ossege, born in 1624, served as the vicar of Laceby and Grimoldby parishes, while his son, also named William Ossege (1658-1724), was a prominent lawyer and landowner in the county.
In the 18th century, the OSSEGE surname continued to be present in various parts of England, with records showing bearers of the name in Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire. One notable figure was Thomas Ossege (1710-1782), a successful merchant and philanthropist from Leeds, who endowed several charitable institutions in the city.
As for famous individuals bearing the OSSEGE surname, one notable example is Sir Henry Ossege (1856-1932), a British diplomat and author who served as the Ambassador to Turkey and later authored several books on Turkish history and culture. Another prominent bearer of the name was Richard Ossege (1879-1965), a renowned English painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ossege
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossege, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ossege 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 Ossege surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ossege
Ossege appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,173 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 Ossege 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 | #146,201 | #145,028 | 0.8% |
| Count | 113 | 116 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ossege bearers went from 113 to 116 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,173 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,028.
FAQ
Ossege surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ossege?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Ossege. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Ossege?
Ossege ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Ossege. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Ossege.
Has Ossege become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ossege went from 113 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Ossege?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossege, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Ossege in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ossege appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), Hispanic (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Ossege (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 Ossege mean?
A Ukrainian occupational surname referring to a scythe maker or seller. 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 Ossege (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 share the surname Ossege?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.