2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ossenkop
A surname likely referring to someone living near an oxhead or ox head landmark.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Ossenkop. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ossenkop 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Ossenkop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossenkop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ossenkop
The surname OSSENKOP is of Dutch origin, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages in the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Dutch words "ossen" meaning "oxen" and "kop" meaning "head". It is believed to have been an occupational surname initially given to those who worked with or traded in oxen, possibly referring to an ox herder, breeder, or trader.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the OSSENKOP surname can be found in the historical records of the city of Utrecht, dating back to the 14th century. It is mentioned in a document from 1368, which lists a Willem Ossenkop as a resident of the city. This document provides evidence of the name's existence in the region during that time period.
In the 15th century, the OSSENKOP surname appears in various municipal records and tax rolls across several Dutch provinces, indicating its widespread use and presence throughout the Netherlands. Notable individuals from this era include Jan Ossenkop, a merchant from Delft who was involved in the city's textile trade (born circa 1420), and Pieter Ossenkop, a landowner from Leiden (born around 1460).
The OSSENKOP name also has connections to certain place names in the Netherlands. For instance, the village of Ossenkoppenhoek, located in the province of Friesland, is believed to have been named after a family or individual bearing the OSSENKOP surname. This suggests that the name had a strong presence in that particular region.
During the 17th century, the OSSENKOP surname gained prominence with the rise of a notable family in the city of Haarlem. Jacob Ossenkop (1592-1668) was a successful merchant and alderman in the city, and his son, Dirck Ossenkop (1624-1692), became a renowned painter and etcher, known for his landscapes and cityscapes. This family's achievements contributed to the recognition of the OSSENKOP name during the Dutch Golden Age.
Another significant figure bearing the OSSENKOP surname was Cornelis Ossenkop (1766-1834), a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Rotterdam from 1814 to 1825. His tenure coincided with a period of economic growth and development in the city, further highlighting the OSSENKOP name's association with influential individuals.
Over the centuries, the OSSENKOP surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Ossenkop, Ossenkopt, and Ossenkopp, reflecting the evolution of language and regional dialects within the Netherlands. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to its occupational roots in the Dutch oxen trade and livestock industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ossenkop
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossenkop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ossenkop 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 Ossenkop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ossenkop
Ossenkop 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-6 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,715 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 5,715 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 Ossenkop 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 | #145,220 | #150,935 | -3.9% |
| Count | 114 | 108 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ossenkop bearers went from 114 to 108 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 5,715 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,935.
FAQ
Ossenkop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ossenkop?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Ossenkop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Ossenkop?
Ossenkop ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Ossenkop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Ossenkop.
Has Ossenkop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ossenkop went from 114 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Ossenkop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ossenkop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Black (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 Ossenkop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ossenkop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (4.6%), Black (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 Ossenkop (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 Ossenkop mean?
A surname likely referring to someone living near an oxhead or ox head landmark. 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 Ossenkop (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 have the surname Ossenkop?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.