2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ostafin
A surname of Russian origin meaning someone from the village of Ostafino.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Ostafin. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostafin 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Ostafin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostafin
The surname Ostafin has its origins in Russia, and is believed to have emerged sometime in the 16th or 17th century. It is likely derived from a combination of the Russian words "ostaf" and "fin," which may have been used to describe someone's occupation or place of residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ostafin can be found in the historical records of the Novgorod region of Russia, where a merchant named Ostafin Petrovich is mentioned in a document from the late 16th century. This suggests that the name was already in use at that time, and may have been associated with trade or commerce.
In the 18th century, the name appears in the records of the Russian Orthodox Church, with several individuals bearing the surname Ostafin being listed as priests or members of the clergy. This indicates that the name had gained some prominence and was not solely confined to a specific occupation or social class.
One notable figure with the surname Ostafin was Yegor Ostafin, a Russian military officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars during the early 19th century. He was born in 1785 and served in the Imperial Russian Army, participating in several key battles against the French forces.
Another individual of note was Ivan Ostafin, a Russian painter who lived from 1818 to 1891. He was known for his landscapes and portraiture, and his works can be found in several art museums and galleries across Russia.
In the late 19th century, the name Ostafin also appears in the records of Russian immigrants who settled in other parts of Europe and North America. One such immigrant was Andrei Ostafin, who was born in 1865 and eventually settled in the United States, where he worked as a farmer in the Midwest.
While the surname Ostafin is not as common as some other Russian surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and encompasses individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, clergy, military personnel, artists, and immigrants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostafin
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostafin 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 Ostafin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 98
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostafin
Ostafin 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,015 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 19,015 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Ostafin 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 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostafin bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Ostafin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostafin?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Ostafin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Ostafin?
Ostafin ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Ostafin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ostafin.
Has Ostafin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostafin went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostafin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Black (1.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Ostafin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostafin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Black (1.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Ostafin (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 Ostafin mean?
A surname of Russian origin meaning someone from the village of Ostafino. 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 Ostafin (0.03 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 Ostafin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.