2000
#20,152
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Ost
A surname referring to someone from the east or living in the east.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,328 Americans carry the last name Ost. That puts it at #22,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 258,098 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ost 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ost with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.3K
1 in 258,098
Census rank
#22,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,158 bearers of the surname Ost in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 22732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ost, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from Saxony, dating back to the 12th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ost
Among Census respondents with the surname Ost, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ost 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 Ost surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 1,051
- Two or more races4.0% · 46
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ost
Ost 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
#21,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,181
-49 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.40
Rank movement Down 1,820 places
2020
#22,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,158
-23 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 760 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,152 | 1,230 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,972 | 1,181 | 0.40 | -49 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 1,820 places |
| 2020 | #22,732 | 1,158 | 0.39 | -23 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 760 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 Ost 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 | #21,972 | #22,732 | -3.5% |
| Count | 1,181 | 1,158 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.40 | 0.39 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ost bearers went from 1,181 to 1,158 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 760 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,972 to #22,732.
FAQ
Ost surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ost?
Name Census estimates that about 1,328 living Americans carry the surname Ost. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 258,098 residents.
How common is Ost?
Ost ranks #22,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.39 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 1,158 people with the surname Ost. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.39 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 Ost.
Has Ost become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ost went from 1,181 recorded bearers to 1,158. That is a decrease of 23 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,972 to #22,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Ost?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ost, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Ost in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (1,051 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ost appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Ost (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 Ost mean?
A surname referring to someone from the east or living in the east. 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 Ost (0.39 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 Ost?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.