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

Ostberg, 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 Ostberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ostberg in America

Ostberg is the 36246th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ostberg surname appeared 618 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 Ostberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ostberg 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 Ostberg

The surname Ostberg has its roots in Sweden, originating in the late medieval period around the 13th-14th centuries. It is derived from the Old Swedish words "öst" meaning east, and "berg" meaning mountain or hill, suggesting an easterly location or proximity to an eastern mountain range.

Historically, the name Ostberg has been associated with the region of Östergötland in eastern Sweden, where it is believed to have first emerged. Early records from the 16th century indicate the name was sometimes spelled as "Östberg" or "Oestberg" before evolving to its modern form.

One of the earliest documented mentions of the name Ostberg can be found in the Swedish census records of 1540, which lists a landowner named Erik Ostberg residing in the village of Linköping, Östergötland. This suggests the name was already well-established by that time.

In the 17th century, the name Ostberg appears in the parish records of the city of Norrköping, also located in Östergötland. A notable figure from this era was Johan Ostberg (1632-1701), a merchant and landowner who played a prominent role in the city's trade guilds.

Another significant individual bearing the surname Ostberg was Carl Gustaf Ostberg (1766-1834), a Swedish military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of major general. He was awarded the prestigious Pour le Mérite order for his distinguished service.

Moving into the 19th century, the name Ostberg continued to be closely associated with the Östergötland region, as evidenced by the birth records of Gustaf Ostberg (1823-1897), a farmer from the town of Kisa. His son, Carl Ostberg (1855-1932), later became a prominent architect and designed several notable buildings in Stockholm.

In more recent history, one of the most renowned individuals with the surname Ostberg was the Swedish author and playwright Ragnar Ostberg (1892-1983), whose works explored themes of social injustice and working-class struggles. His play "Mordet på Ingeborg Holm" (The Murder of Ingeborg Holm) from 1923 is considered a masterpiece of Swedish drama.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ostberg

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

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 Ostberg 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 Ostberg 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 Ostberg was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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