Find out how popular the last name Ost is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ost.

Ost, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ost surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ost in America

Ost is the 21972nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ost surname appeared 1,181 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ost.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ost to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ost

The surname "Ost" is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "ost," which means "east," suggesting that the name was originally given to someone who lived in the eastern part of a particular region or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century. In this manuscript, a person named "Henricus Ost" is mentioned as a witness to a legal transaction.

During the 13th century, the name "Ost" appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, often associated with place names or locations. For example, in the town of Osterode in Lower Saxony, there was a family named "Ost von Osterode," indicating their connection to the eastern part of the town.

Notable individuals with the surname "Ost" include Johann Ost (1504-1572), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Hans Ost (1610-1688), a German composer and organist known for his contributions to the development of baroque music.

In the 19th century, Carl Ost (1825-1901) was a renowned German architect who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag building. Additionally, Friedrich Ost (1860-1923) was a German politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice in Prussia from 1917 to 1919.

One of the most famous bearers of the surname "Ost" in modern times was Hjalmar Ost (1891-1971), a Swedish actor and film director who gained international recognition for his work in the early 20th century. He is considered a pioneer of Swedish cinema and directed several critically acclaimed films.

Throughout its history, the surname "Ost" has been subject to various spellings and regional variations, such as "Osten," "Ostendorf," and "Ostermann," reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences within German-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ost

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ost.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ost was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ost has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ost was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ost, please contact us.

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