2000
#106,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Ostapenko
A Ukrainian surname derived from the given name "Ostap", which means "home-owner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 358 Americans carry the last name Ostapenko. That puts it at #68,029 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 957,414 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ostapenko 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
358
1 in 957,414
Census rank
#68,029
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
312
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 312 bearers of the surname Ostapenko in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68029th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostapenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ostapenko
The surname Ostapenko originated in Ukraine and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Ukrainian given name Ostap, which is a variant of the Greek name Eustathios, meaning "well-built" or "stable". Ostapenko is a patronymic form of the name, indicating "son of Ostap".
In its early history, the name was primarily concentrated in the central and eastern regions of Ukraine, particularly around the cities of Kiev and Chernihiv. It is believed to have been associated with the Cossack communities of the time, as many Cossack surnames were patronymic in nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ostapenko can be found in the Cossack Registers of the 17th century, which documented the names and lineages of Cossack families. These registers were maintained by the Cossack Host, a semi-autonomous military force that played a significant role in the history of Ukraine.
Over the centuries, the Ostapenko surname has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 18th century, Ivan Ostapenko (1714-1784) was a prominent Cossack leader and military commander who fought against the Russian Empire's attempts to subjugate the Ukrainian territories.
In the 19th century, Hryhoriy Ostapenko (1819-1892) was a Ukrainian writer and poet who contributed significantly to the development of Ukrainian literature. His works often explored themes of national identity and the struggles of the Ukrainian people.
More recently, Yelena Ostapenko (born 1997) is a professional tennis player from Ukraine who won the French Open in 2017, becoming the first Latvian player to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Other notable individuals with the Ostapenko surname include Mykola Ostapenko (1892-1976), a Ukrainian painter and art educator, and Volodymyr Ostapenko (born 1950), a Ukrainian politician and former member of the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament).
While the surname Ostapenko has its roots in Ukraine, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply tied to the cultural and historical heritage of Ukraine.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ostapenko
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostapenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ostapenko 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 Ostapenko surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.4% · 310
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ostapenko
Ostapenko 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
#73,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
+109 bearers (+70.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 33,013 places
2020
#68,029
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312
+48 bearers (+18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 5,435 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #106,477 | 155 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #73,464 | 264 | 0.09 | +109 bearers (+70.3%) | Up 33,013 places |
| 2020 | #68,029 | 312 | 0.10 | +48 bearers (+18.2%) | Up 5,435 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 Ostapenko 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 | #73,464 | #68,029 | 7.4% |
| Count | 264 | 312 | 18.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.10 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ostapenko bearers went from 264 to 312 (+18.2% change). The surname moved up 5,435 positions in the national ranking, going from #73,464 to #68,029.
FAQ
Ostapenko surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ostapenko?
Name Census estimates that about 358 living Americans carry the surname Ostapenko. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 957,414 residents.
How common is Ostapenko?
Ostapenko ranks #68,029 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 312 people with the surname Ostapenko. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (358), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Ostapenko.
Has Ostapenko become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ostapenko went from 264 recorded bearers to 312. That is an increase of 48 (+18.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #73,464 to #68,029.
What does the Census say about the background of Ostapenko?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ostapenko, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Ostapenko in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.4% (310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ostapenko appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.4%), Hispanic (0.3%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Ostapenko (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 Ostapenko mean?
A Ukrainian surname derived from the given name "Ostap", which means "home-owner". 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 Ostapenko (0.10 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 Ostapenko?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.